Two missed gates have put paid to Liam Jegou's hopes of progressing to the final of the C1 canoe slalom competition in Tokyo.
The Clare native made a swift start to the competition, and his second split time of 71.37 seconds had him well placed to advance to the final, before disaster struck at gates 22 and 23.
Missing both gates meant a 100-second penalty was added on to his finishing time of 108.39 - giving him a total time of 208.39.
France's Martin Thomas won the semi-finals in a time of 100.65, while the tenth and final qualifying spot in the final went to home athlete Takuyu Haneda of Japan in a time of 107.82.
Disappointment for Liam Jegou in the canoe slalom semi-final as two missed gates late on meant he would not make the final. pic.twitter.com/SB2nrx9MGa
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 26, 2021
Speaking after the event, Jegou said that he was "confident and comfortable" coming into the final section of the course.
"Maybe I let go a little bit mentally towards the end," he told RTÉ Sport.
"You're always a touch away [from a penalty]. Too much weight on your left knee and it's game over and that is what happened today."
Looking back on the event, Jegou admitted he was "gutted" not to have progressed to the final.
'I'm gutted, I'd done all the hard work. I don't know what to say'. @LiamJegou struggles to explain what went wrong in canoe slalom semi-final. Speaking to @joestack_ky #olympics #tokyo20200 #RTESport
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 26, 2021
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"It takes a lot of work to get here, it's more than five years, it's a lifetime of work, so it's tough," he said.
However, the 25-year-old added that the focus will soon turn to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"It's maybe an hour of sulking and being sad, but the rest of the year I'm doing what I love and I'm going to continue doing that and keep on pushing.
"Simply today I wasn't good enough to get a spot in the final and I'll have to qualify in three years' time and be better than today."
Concluding his interview, Jegou paid tribute to his family for their support - as well as those in Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, where he grew up - saying he "got a message from everyone he's ever known in his life".
Meanwhile in the final, which got under way shortly before 7.45am Irish time, Slovenia's Benjamin Savsek put in a flawless run to take gold in a time of 98.25 seconds.
Lukas Rohan of the Czech Republic claimed silver in a time of 101.96 - including a two-second penalty - and bronze went to Germany's Sideris Tasiadis in 103.70.
Semi-final winner Thomas could only place fifth in the final, in a time of 104.98.
