Britain's athletes are looking more likely to return from the rain-soaked World Championships with sunburn than a haul of medals.
Hopes of glory in Helsinki were not high before the event began on Saturday, and have dipped markedly in five days of low-key action.
Paula Radcliffe set out on a double title bid but could finish only ninth in the first leg, the 10,000m, while Kelly Sotherton targeted a silver yet came fifth in the heptathlon.
Meanwhile, the 100m and 200m boys missed out completely on their finals, as did triple-jump medal hopeful Nathan Douglas.
It seems a long 12 years since Britain's 'annus mirabilis' of 1993, when Linford Christie, Colin Jackson and Sally Gunnell all struck gold in a haul reaching double figures for the first time.
Britain's performance since the World Championships began in 1983 - 1993 aside - was relatively consistent until Edmonton in 2001, when only Jonathan Edwards (triple jump gold) and Dean Macey (bronze, decathlon) came home with a medal.
Until then, around half-a-dozen medals was the norm, with Stuttgart in 1993 the shining exception.
During the first seven championships, Britain always finished fourth or fifth in the medal points table, until Edmonton, when they finished ninth.
The first time the event was staged in 1983, also in Helsinki, Britain won two gold medals, with Daley Thompson (decathlon) and Steve Cram (1500m) hitting the jackpot.
"What people don't remember is that those first Worlds were the first true world event for 10 years," Cram recalls.
"The two previous Olympics (Montreal 1976 and 1980) both had major boycotts so it was the first time everyone was present since Munich (in 1972).
"The Americans were back, the Africans were all there, the Eastern Bloc were there. We all thought the Olympics was struggling and for athletics this was the future and what people would be aiming for."
Although the Olympics has long since regained its lustre, the World Championships appear to have suffered by dint of becoming a biannual event since 1993, with a drop-off in performances often following an Olympic year.
 | GB MEDAL PLIGHT Points based on 8 - gold, 7 - silver, down to 1 for final place
1993: 95 1995: 78 1997: 76 1999: 66 2001: 54 2003: 46 |
Conversely, the number of nations taking part has risen from 153 in 1983 to more than 200 since Seville in 1999.
With the number of countries capable of winning medals increasing, it is perhaps not surprising Britain's medal yield has fallen in recent times.
A different measurement of performance is provided by a points system, where a gold medallist earns eight points, a silver seven, down to one point for getting into a final.
But from a peak of 95 in 1993, Britain's total has dropped steadily to 78 in 1995, 76 in 1997, 66 in 1999, 54 in 2001 and a mere 46 two years ago.
| HELSINKI BLOWS |
Only Edwards - in 1995 and 2001 - and Jackson, in 1999, have added a golden glow to any of the last five Championships.
Britain's tally in Paris two years ago was initially four medals, only for the men's 4x100m team to later be stripped of their silver medals following Dwain Chambers' positive drugs test.
Two of the three medallists from 2003 - Kelly Holmes (silver in 800m) and Hayley Tullett (bronze, 1500m) - are absent through injury this time.
The other, Darren Campbell (bronze, 100m), did not win an individual spot and may struggle to participate in the sprint relay as he tries to shake off injury.
Before Helsinki, UK Athletics chief executive David Moorcroft had warned this team lacks the strength in depth of the one that travelled to the Olympics last year, while UKA's new performance director Dave Collins labelled 2005 a "transition year" for the British team.
All is not quite lost if you recall the medallists from Paris two years ago - each a surprise to a greater or lesser degree, when other more likely medal prospects failed.
Campbell won his 100m bronze in 10.08secs by keeping his head while others faltered under pressure.
Tullett was a picture of stunned disbelief after snatching a bronze on the final day, admitting her tactics were "just bloody run, basically".
Remember Kriss Akabusi pipping American Antonio Pettigrew on the line to bring home a shock gold for the British 4x400m relay team in Tokyo in 1991?
And where did Dean Macey come from to win a silver medal in Seville in 1999?
Anything less than two medals would make Helsinki Britain's worst World Championships ever.
So, a rising degree of pressure is set to be felt by 400m runner Tim Benjamin, the Olympic sprint relay champions, and a certain Radcliffe.
She could not cope with the heat at the Olympics in Athens. Can she cope with the burden of expectation should the golden hopes of Britain rest solely on her shoulders in the marathon on Sunday?
ANALYSIS - Where has it gone wrong?
MMIX
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What would be the implications of not getting a single medal?
