Britain's last realistic chance of a second medal at these Olympic Games disappeared yesterday when the men's curlers were beaten 8-6 by the United States in the bronze medal play-off in the Pinerolo Palaghiaccio.
It meant a week that had begun with so much optimism that the team, led by the 27-year-old Lockerbie beef farmer David Murdoch, could become the first British men's champions since 1924 ended in anti-climax.
Yesterday's was Britain's fourth consecutive defeat, including the semi-final against Finland on Wednesday, and it seems inevitable the only medal that Team GB will be taking home will be the silver won by Shelley Rudman in the bob skeleton last week.
"It is hard to take because the chance was there," said Murdoch. "It will be with me for a long time, but I am hoping we will get the chance to bury it at the next Olympics. We wanted to win the bronze-medal match as much as that semi-final and we did everything possible to win, but it didn't go out way.
"We had a sleepless night on Wednesday night but we regrouped and showed a lot of character to come out fighting. We proved there is a lot of fight on this team. It's a fantastic team and we did everything we could and it's a bit of a hard luck story - we just didn't get the breaks in the last couple of games and got caught out."
One moment of humour broke the tension of the match temporarily by what was surely a first for curling - a male streaker. He made his appearance before the sixth end when Britain were 6-2 down. An armed police officer threw the offender into the freezing mountain air without even allowing him to get dressed. "Please will someone bring me my clothes?" said the man in a Scottish accent.
Another Scot, Alain Baxter, hopes to continue healing the wound of being stripped of a slalom bronze in Salt Lake City when he competes in the event again today at Sestriere Colle.
His autobiography is called Unfinished Business, a reference to the surprise medal he won in 2002 that he lost a few days later when he tested positive after using an over-the-counter nasal inhaler. The truth is that it is always likely to remain an open sore because Baxter was harshly treated even by the draconian rules that must govern anti-doping in sport these days.
However success today seems even further away than four years ago. In 14 of his 17 World Cup races since last season Baxter has either failed to finish, has been disqualified for straddling a gate or has not qualified inside the top 30 after his first run. At a Europa Cup warm-up event in Madesimo this week the 32-year-old crashed out again 10 gates from the end.
"Since Salt Lake he just hasn't been in form. He has been really struggling," said Franz Klammer, Austria's 1976 downhill champion. "You need to have consistency in slalom. I can't see him suddenly finding him form on Saturday - he has not been up there all season."
Sympathy still abounds for Baxter within the skiing world - in stark contrast to the revulsion felt by the same people at the alleged antics of the Austrian cross-country and biathlon teams.
"He did nothing wrong and he never deserved to lose the bronze after working so hard to get it," Klammer added. "But, unfortunately, I'm not the governing body."
Baxter has largely avoided what could have turned into a media circus here by keeping a low profile. "The truth is I've never been one for hype," he said. "At all the Olympics I've been to, I've never been near an opening ceremony, or anything like that."
The Aviemore skier has maintained a diplomatic silence on what happened to him in Salt Lake City. He may sometimes come across as dour but by nature he must be an optimist if his own assessment of his chances here are any guide. "I still class myself as one of the best in the world," he said. "I have the ability, fitness and technique. I am ready now and can't wait to get on with it. I am really looking forward to it because I know I'm skiing well."
Christian Schwaiger, Britain's head skiing coach, said that with Baxter "everything is possible, from a very good performance to almost nothing. His problems in World Cup have nothing to do with equipment or technique. It's confidence missing on race day."
Baxter, meanwhile, is clinging to the hope that, as the most unpredictable of the Alpine events, anything can happen in slalom. "You have to be relaxed to perform but you have to be fired up to attack," he added. "It's a strange sport."
Baxter knows that better than most.
