Kenya's dream to land a gold medal in the Paris Olympics was shuttered after Commonwealth bronze medalist Samuel Gathimba finished 22nd in the Mens 20KM race walk.
The Commonwealth medalist was Kenyan's sole representative in the race walk in the ongoing Paris Olympic Games.
Gathimba, a three-time African champion was hoping to add an Olympic medal to his medal cabinet but Brian Daniel Pintado of Ecuador proved had to beat as the Ecuadorian scooped the gold medal. Caoi Bonfim, of Brazil took Silver and Alvaro Martin of Spain(Bronze).
The 36-year-old Gathimba managed to stay with the leading pack in the initial stages but he faded away after 15km. He, however, appeared to limb before dropping to 14th position at 15km.
Gathimba had earlier said he is "wiser" as he competes in his second Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
In his debut at Rio 2016, Gathimba failed to finish and has since blamed it on excitement.
"I was excited to compete in my first Olympics. I was overconfident, you could tell by how I started the race. It was fast," he said.
This, he said, made him lose focus with just 500m left. "I followed the wrong route and finished the race prematurely. It's a learning curve. It will not happen again. I am wiser now," he said.
"I have prepared well even though we have had a busy season, especially, with the World Race Walking Relay Championships and the African Games," he said.
"To compete at this high level, preparations must be top-notch. Anyone competing here is good, confident and experienced. One must, therefore, get his calculations right."
