Hicham El Guerrouj, the world 1,500-metres record holder, is counting the cost of another Olympian mishap after last evening's final in Sydney had built to an improbable climax.
Four years ago in Atlanta, El Guerrouj saw his title chances evaporate in a dramatic fall, after catching the heel of the eventual winner Noureddine Morceli approaching the bell.
Here, the circumstances of his eclipse were scarcely any less dramatic when, after looking all over a winner with 250 metres to go, he was caught by the Kenyan Noah Ngeny in the surge for the tape.
Now the man whom many would rate among the finest milers in history, may be fated to go through his career without ever acquiring the prize he covets most.
For Ngeny, it was handsome compensation for his defeat by the Moroccan in last year's world championship final at Seville. And the sense of fulfilment was enhanced with a new Olympic record of three minutes 32.07 seconds.
In spite of his world title successes, El Guerrouj's character in championship competition has never been above suspicion and now he sought to pursue victory through a Grand Prix format.
With his team-mate Youssef Baba prepared to sacrifice what slim chance he had, by acting as a pacemaker, he sought to burn off the Kenyans by sheer pace in the middle stages of the race.
As it transpired, the race plan had to be abandoned early when, after going through the opening 400 metres in 54.14 seconds, Baba lost momentum to the point where the next 400 took 60.63.
Left alone and exposed out front from early on the third lap, he sought to take it on himself from 650 metres out. That was a tactic fraught with risk and, when he failed to shake off Ngeny and another Kenyan Bernard Legat rounding the last bend, the end of the great dream was nigh.
Ngeny untapped extra pace down the finish straight and, after a frantic glance to his right, El Guerrouj knew that his search for Olympic gold was on going.
If the Kenyans were ecstatic in reclaiming the 1,500-metres championship, there were, it seemed, no more than fulfilling their destiny in providing three of the first four in the 3,000-metres final.
Over the years, they have taken this event onto a different plane and so it was last evening after the Spaniard Miguel Luis Martin, with monumental optimism, had attempted to take them on early on.
Long before the finish Martin had receded some way off the pace as Reuben Kosgei, Wilson Boit Kipketer and Bernard Barmasai pushed it over the last two laps.
Ali Ezzine of Morocco eventually denied the Kenyans a grand slam by relegating Barmasai to fourth place, with Kosgei beating Kipketer to the line in a time of 8.21.43.
