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It proved a deflating day for Team South Africa on day 11 of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Saturday.
Much hope had been invested in the 200m duo of Anrune Weyers and Mpumelelo Mhlongo, who both provided earlier glimpses of being medal contenders in their respective classifications' heats, only to disappoint in their finals.
Mhlongo in particular had a frustrating day, much of it down to not being able to compete in his specialist T44 category, which will only be introduced at 2024's edition.
He made waves with a second-placed finish in his T64 heat, in the process beating his own T44 world record to stop the clock at 22.81.
"I went out there to enjoy every step and we just went for it," Mhlongo told the TeamSA website.
"I was fortunate to have executed the race well. I wanted to appreciate being here ... being alive and appreciating the competition."
However, given that he had to race in a mixed class, his time actually only placed him sixth overall.
His was never truly in contention in the final, finishing fifth in 22.86.
Meanwhile, Anrune Weyers - South Africa's first medallist at this edition, launched a cracking late bid in her T47 event to get into medal contention, but it was only enough to see her end in fourth.
The 28-year-old would've rued a poor start to her race.
Elsewhere, Paralympic debutant Simone Kruger gave a good account of herself to finish fifth in the women's T38 discus with a 31.51, effort, but Tyrone Pillay had a more challenging day in the men's shot put.
His best throw of 11.94m was only good enough for eighth.
