Ireland's Brian Fay came up short in his quest to make the men's 5000m final at the Olympics, finishing 13th as he missed out on the top eight place that would have seen him advance from this morning's heats.
The Dubliner came into the games in mixed form, having disappointed at the European Championships before improving during his last couple of races in recent weeks. He would need to clock a season best time in order to have a chance of making the final, but he couldn't quite manage to keep pace with the leading group towards the end of the race.
In the end, he would have to be content with a 13th placed finish.
With there being no repechage in the men's 5000m, this brings his involvement at the Olympics to an end.
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Irish Athlete Gives Searingly Honest Interview After Missing Out On Olympics Final
Brian Fay is considered a big talent in Irish athletics circles, although he has not quite managed to translate that to success at the highest level just yet.
The 25-year old still has time on his side, with many athletes not peaking in this event until later in their careers. Still, he was somewhat disappointed with how this morning's race played out for him.
Speaking to RTÉ, Fay would give a searingly honest summary of where he stands on the back of his exit from the Olympics.
'Let's call a spade a spade, I'm not good enough at the minute to get to a final'
Brian Fay gives an honest assessment after his 5000m semi-final#RTESport #Paris2024
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Obviously I came and didn't have a great Europeans, I got momentum in the last couple of races before coming in here.
It's disappointing not to make the final...
Let's call a spade a spade, I'm just not good enough at the minute to get into a final. I'm going to just keep coming, keep showing up, and I'll get it right eventually.
You want to be able to show up, take to the start line and be a force to be reckoned with, irrespective of it being a heat, a final, or whatever it is.
If it takes me a couple of years, I'm going to keep showing up and keep doing it. Even if I fell, I'm going to keep going until I get it right.
I'm going to make a major championship final one of these days and I will be a force to be reckoned with coming into that as well...
It's hard to hard to come in here, into the Olympic village, there's a lot going on. It's my first time as an Olympian, so hopefully in four years time I can come back again...
The difference is decision making and composure. I'd say my decision making hasn't been great.
It has been getting better, it wasn't great at Europeans, it was better today. I will keep going forward and get more composed.
Obviously it's quite overwhelming coming into this. You're trying your best to stay composed, but in the back of your head you're like 'I'm racing in front of 70,000 people my whole family is here'.
Honest stuff.
Brian Fay will be hoping that this is not his only foray at the Olympics, with his age meaning that he should be well in contention to make the games in LA in 2028.
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