By Lewis Coombes
*BBC Sport in Chateauroux*
Seonaid McIntosh, Britain's top 10m air rifle shooter, was cruelly denied a place in the final at the Tokyo Olympics after her rifle malfunctioned during the warm-up.
The incident, which occurred just minutes before the start of the competition, saw McIntosh's father and coach, Donald, scramble to fix the gun using a toolbox. While other athletes began competing, Seonaid was granted additional time to practice after her gun's barrel was completely replaced.
Despite her efforts, McIntosh finished 37th with a score of 624.5, failing to qualify for the final. South Korea's Hyojin Ban topped the standings with a new Olympic qualifying record of 634.5.
Speaking to BBC Sport, McIntosh said: "It's not been my day. Immediately I knew there was something wrong. The two sights weren't lining up. We bought a spare gun for situations like this, so we ran and got that. A lot of thoughts all at once: 'How do we fix it? How fast can I fix it?' While trying to stay calm and not get phased by it."
Despite the pressure of a delayed entry, McIntosh showed remarkable composure, employing breathing techniques to stay calm.
"I'm disappointed by the result," she added. "But I did work really hard and had to work extra hard because of all the big problems at the start. I did my best, and that's all I can really ask of myself, I guess. I had a look at the sight afterwards, and there's a big crack in it. I'm thinking when it's gone into the armoury it's fallen over or something. I'll be a bit more cautious with my 50m gun, maybe take the sights off at night-time and things and make sure everything is packed safely. At least it's this time and not my last competition."
McIntosh will compete in her favoured event, the 50m rifle three positions, next week. She is currently ranked world number one in the discipline.