Sebastian Coe said Kirsty Coventry's clear victory in the race to be International Olympic Committee president on Thursday was a "historic moment", as the Briton digested his disappointing third-place finish.
Zimbabwean Coventry won in the first round of voting in Greece with 49 of the 97 votes from IOC members, while Coe received just eight votes.
"She's the first woman, it's a very historic moment," he said.
The president of World Athletics and himself a double 1,500 metres Olympic champion on the track said he was delighted that Coventry, who won two Olympic golds in the pool, would lead the body.
"I'm absolutely delighted for Kirsty. We've got an athlete at the head of the organisation, that's a good thing.
"We chatted actually about that only a couple of weeks ago and agreed that that would be the preferred outcome and that's what's happened.
"So I've congratulated her and she's got a huge job but she will have the confidence of the athletes and that's very important."
Outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach was rumoured to have strongly supported Coventry's campaign.
Although Coe was once close to Bach, relations between the two men have soured due to the Briton's stance on issues such as banning Russians from track and field following the invasion of Ukraine.
Coe had also campaigned for a more open IOC than the top-down organisation presided over by Bach.
Asked how he viewed the result, Coe said: "It's very difficult to make any interpretation at the moment. I think what is pretty clear is that the athletes and the women members in particular supported her very strongly in the first round."
Coe had complained last week that the IOC election process needed overhauling.
"I have a very clear view, which I think I've expressed, about what the challenges are and what the movement needs to address. But Kirsty will, I'm sure, want to deal with the same issues."
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