Maria Lamb has hit out at the US speed skating organisation following a disappointing 2014 Winter Olympics campaign.
The American speed skaters have failed to win a medal in Sochi even after discarding their brand new suits and going back to the earlier versions made by the same company.
"The skinsuit issue is honestly just the tip of the iceberg," The AP quotes the 28-year-old as saying after she finished 16th in the 5,000m on Wednesday.
"Over the last few years, a few of us have raced better in spite of the organisation rather than because of it. The organisation could have done a lot of things differently.
"We have lost a lot of staff and we've had to deal with a huge amount of controversy. That definitely affects you. That shit adds up over the years, and unfortunately it came to a head that we could no longer perform well."
Lamb later apologised for her outburst on her blog, but reiterated that the American athletes were not given enough support by the organisation.
"I apologise if I came off as being negative, sounded like I was making excuses for myself or anyone else, or offended anyone," she wrote. "That was not my intent.
"I felt that we were let down by some of the leadership in US Speedskating, mistakes were made that were out of our control.
"The team atmosphere grew increasingly negative as time went on, and as much as I tried to stay positive, I struggled at times and I know it affected my training."
The USA have won 25 medals in Sochi so far.
Subhankar Mondal
