There is no silver lining: The hilarious pouts of the Olympians who went for the gold - but wound up in second place

Photos show disappointment and anger on the faces of London's silver medallists

While a silver medal can still earn a place on the prestigious Olympic podium, these depressed athletes may tell you that second place is the first loser.

Luckily, photographers have been able to capture the expression of nearly every silver medallist, from the solemn to the angry to the tearful.

Even though they are the world's top swimmers, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte looked forlorn as they stood among the members of the 4x100 freestyle relay on July 29.

Silver dud: Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Cullen Jones and Ryan Lochte look befuddled by their silver medals after the 4x100m freestyle relay

Expressions: Colombian cyclist Rigberto Uran Uran, left, and American gymnast McKayla Maroney wear their disappointment on their faces



Known for her intense facial expressions, American gymnast McKayla Maroney could not hide her disappointment at winning a silver medal after a fall in the vault event cost her gold on August 5.

After winning silver in the gritty road race final on July 28, Colombian cyclist Rigoberto Uran Uran should’ve been proud, but his scowl looks more fit for the first day of school than the Olympic medals ceremony.

If there was a gold medal for pouting, Mika Sugimoto of Japan would have won it - but when it came to judo, she took silver.

Pout: Mika Sugimoto, left, makes an odd expression with her silver medal, while triathlete Javier Gomez, right, of Spain looks thrilled to be there



Happy and sad: Even next to superstar U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas, Victoria Komova of Russia couldn't muster a smile

But perhaps there was no greater disappointment than that of Russian gymnast Victoria Komova – who came up short behind American gymnasts not once, but twice.

Though she won two silver medals and made Russia proud, she could not help but either sulk on the Olympic podium, or burst into tears.

Trite Russians: While wrestler Rustam Totrov displays a stone face, his compatriot Victoria Komova was on the brink of tears



Komova’s compatriot, Russian wrestler Rustam Totrov, looked stone-faced during the 96kg wrestling Greco-Roman wrestling final yesterday.

Two athletes who appeared to take their first and second-runner up titles in stride were fencers Bastosz Piasecki of Norway, and South Korea’s Junsun Jung.

They took the opportunity to poke some fun at gold medallist Ruben Limard Gascon of Venezuela on August 1, offering each other high fives from both sides of Gascon’s head.

Sadness: Badminton silver medallist Wang Yihan, of China, was very disappointed she didn't win gold, as was the country's table tennis star Wang Hao

