Athens - Hendrick Mokganyetsi suffered the ultimate Olympic agony on Friday night when he was left numb after dropping the baton during the second leg of the 4x400m heats.
And with it he dropped the SA team's hopes of a chance at an Olympic medal, consigning them an ignominious exit in round one of an event they had real hopes of making the final in.
While it was still unclear what had caused - if anything - Mokganyetsi to actually drop the baton, a clash with the Russian athlete on the back straight was the possible cause.
Mokganyetsi had in fact negotiated the tricky changeover smoothly, but ended with his head in his hands and although he retreived the baton, he decided not to continue.
The rest of the teams had already powered past.
And team-mate Arnaud Malherbe could not disguise his shattered feelings afterwards: "I have never been this disappointed in my life after a race," said Malherbe, in what was to be his third and swansong Olympics.
For Mokganyetsi the task was simple enough.
He had been charged with carrying the baton one lap of the track in as short a time as possible, and his initial burst from a sleek changeover from Marcus le Grange, had catapulted the South Africans from seventh to third.
His run had been devastating, but seconds later he was devastated along with the rest of his team-mates.
Mokganyetsi marched briskly through the mixed zone, head down, and without a word for anyone, unable to hide his bitter disappointment.
For Malherbe it was the double whammy: "I was very disappointed, I didn't get a chance to run at all in this Olympics and we would have made it," he said.
"I am telling you there is no doubt in my mind we would have made it.
"But when that happens there's nothing you can do about it."
"According to him (Mokganyetsi) it was hit out of his hand by the Russian coming in from lane five.
"We won't see if it was deliberate or not until we see the replays.
"We thought of appealing, but decided against it, as we won't get into the final," continued Malherbe.
This was the third Olympics for both Mokganyetsi and Malherbe, and they had been contemplating retirement after success in the relay, an event they had especially been brought to Athens for.
"I was thinking about retiring after this Olympics and perhaps I will do, but I didn't want to do it like this.
"I've got to think now for the next two months, because I have other responsibilities and commitments.
"It's not anybody's fault and I understand Hendrick's disappointment.
"It was to be his last Olympics as well."
