A shell-shocked Yang Wei described bowing out of the all-round final after being on course for gold as a personal nightmare in keeping with the disastrous Games the Chinese men's gymnastics team are having.
Following the blunder that saw divers Peng Bo and Wang Kenan crash out in the men's three-metre synchronised springboard, the 24-year-old Yang's hopes of a medal were scuppered in another bizarre error of judgment.
Yang was headed into the fifth and final event - the horizontal bars - in good shape to win the gold when he slipped on one hand and lost his balance.
It was another cruel blow for the Chinese team, who finished fifth in the men's team event the previous night despite being firm title favourites.
'I really don't know how it went wrong.
'It's been another nightmare,' said a tearful Yang, who finished second at last year's World Championships.