But behind the tears remained a great sense of pride in the Dunedin swimmer who finished fourth in the women’s 400m freestyle, just missing a podium spot at the Paris Olympics yesterday morning.
Fairweather clocked in at 4min 01.12sec in a final labelled the "race of the century" — or the "splash of the titans" — with some of the biggest names alongside her.
"Nobody wants to be there, but I’ve done myself proud.
"I mean, that was an Olympic final and I just came fourth in it, so can’t complain too much.
"I might be crying right now, but that does not mean I’m not proud of myself."
Australian world record holder Ariarne Titmus, who was the favourite heading in, won gold in 3min 57.49sec and Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh stormed home for silver in 3min 58.37sec.
Katie Ledecky, of the United States of America, won bronze in 4min 00.86sec.
Fairweather, 20, gave it her all sitting behind the top three for most of the race, but had a strong back end to push Ledecky in the final lap.
It is still a big moment for the New Zealander, who came into the event as the world champion from Doha earlier this year with the Olympic top three missing the event.
She stunned everyone to make the 400m final at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing eighth in 2021.
It might not have been the outcome she was after, but she appreciated the support of fans at the stadium — her first Olympics in front of a crowd — and back home.
"It was so special.
"You wouldn’t think, but I could actually hear the New Zealanders in there.
"They’re really mighty with how they cheer, so it was super cool to have them here tonight."
