Stewart McSweyn was squeezed out of an Olympic Games medal by a 1500 metre final almost four seconds faster than any before it.
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Roared on by the 1600 population of his native King Island, the 26-year-old finished seventh to become the highest placed Australian in the event since Herb Elliott won in 1960.
Staying out of trouble at the back when the race began at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium, McSweyn came around the outside of the pack to be fifth with three laps to go, third with two and also at the bell.
But the pace was ramped up on the final lap as Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen stormed home in 3:28.32 ahead of Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot (3:29.01) and Brit Josh Kerr (3:29.05).
McSweyn's time of 3:31.91 would have won every other Olympic 1500m final.
"I definitely felt that first lap we went out quick and once Cheruiyot and Jakob got to the front they just kept going," he said.
"I felt good in third with two laps to go and thought I was right in the hunt but with 500 to go I started to feel the wind up.
"I gritted my teeth as much as I could but I didn't quite have it.
"When you get to an Olympic final you give it 100 per cent and whatever happens happens and I can live with that.
"Seventh in an Olympic Games is nothing to be too angry about."
The member of Nic Bideau's Melbourne Track Club, who set an Oceania record of 3:29.51 in Monaco a month ago, had clocked 3:36.39 in finishing third in his heat and 3:32.54 when fifth in the semi-final. He was one of only four in the field of 13 to have run under 3:30.
McSweyn is a veteran of global competition having contested multiple track and field and cross-country world championships, a World University Games and Commonwealth Games.