Great Britain men fell agonisingly short of a medal as the ICF Canoe Polo World Championships drew to a close in China.
In a rematch of the 2022 world championship semi-final, Great Britain men again fell to Germany, this time 2-0 in Deqing.
Then, in a titanic bronze medal match, they were pipped 2-1 by Denmark in the second period of overtime.
GB again showed they could go toe-to-toe with the world’s best, having reached the semi-finals at two consecutive world championships and last year’s Europeans, only to once more miss out on the podium.
“It was the most frustrating position to finish, but with such tight margins across the top eight to 10 teams, they should be proud of what they continue to achieve,” said British squad manager Ginny Coyles.
“I’m sure the incentive of a World Games place will drive them onwards!”
The British women’s medal ambitions were wrecked by an overnight sickness bug which left them with ailing players taking it in turns to make the team up to five for their opening two games.
A goalless draw in their final group match with Switzerland ended their semi-final hopes, before a loss to Germany, and a second British overtime defeat of the day to Denmark left them eighth – one spot away from World Games qualification.
“Many of the teams were significantly affected by sickness today, and with four of the women hit, it was a huge mountain to climb with a tough three games,” Ginny added.
“To even get a team on the water to start games was an achievement.
“It’s such a devastating end to a tournament when they have trained so hard over the past two years or more.”
The Great Britain men were gunning to avenge their 8-2 defeat the last time they met Germany at the semi-final stage.
A cagey first half saw the defending champions start well and hit the outside of the goalframe before GB forced a succession of corners.
But having enjoyed a solid three-minute block of possession, the British fell behind when German skipper Jonas Vieren found space on the left to squeeze in a finish from a tight angle.
Suryan McCutcheon was out of luck when he smacked the underside of the top bar from range, while at the other end, his brother Shivan worked wonders to deflect a shot against the bar.
The pattern continued after the break as Suryan did well to work space inside an imposing German defence only to be denied by keeper Rene Kirchhoff before Santanam found the side-netting.
The tie remained in the balance until 80 seconds to go when Arne Beckman slotted in the killer second from close range.
There was still time for Santanam to have a shot deflected on to the bottom bar as Germany moved into their eighth world final.
A 2-1 win over France capped a 100 per cent winning record in Deqing and a third successive world crown for the Germans.
Defending European champions Denmark started well in the battle for bronze, hitting the top bar early on.
Strong British defence kept the Danes at arm’s length until the seventh minute when Marius Larsen found a rare gap to advance on goal and slam a finish into the far top corner.
It was the British turn to boss possession as they camped around the Danish goal for the rest of the half.
Alex Lowthorpe and three McCutcheon brothers – Suryan, Kartik and Santanam – all had shots blocked as a series of corners went unrewarded.
The one-way traffic continued after the break as the game settled into the same pattern – Denmark holding out against a barrage of shots.
Santanam’s audacious attempt from his own half narrowly missed an unguarded net, a Lowthorpe effort was tipped inches wide and Shivan was twice denied by close-range blocks.
However, the mounting pressure finally paid off with three minutes left when Santanam finally found a chink in the centre of the Danes’ defence to fire into the roof of the net and force overtime.
GB continued to carve out the better chances as the goal frame twice denied Fergal McConvey a golden goal winner, pinging a powerful shot off the top bar and then, a minute later, hitting the bottom bar.
Skipper Suryan won a fourth straight sprint at the start of the second period, but a loose pass ceded possession and Denmark made it count.
Having been rebuffed by a strong close-quarter defence, Andreas Iversen tried his luck from range and found the net to break British hearts.
Great Britain women needed to beat Switzerland in their final group match and hope other results went their way to reach the last four.
Illness meant GB had no substitutes available, but GB still created chances to win the match.
Kirsten Lee and Ella Winterbottom were denied by the goal frame and Eleanor McBay had a one-on-one chance saved in a frustrating 0-0 draw.
The result left them tied for third in the group and into classifying matches to decide fifth to eighth positions.
Up first was their second clash of the tournament against defending champions Germany who hit the front after they forced a trio of fine early saves.
But Britain responded immediately as captain Bethan Littlewood fired home on the angle after a well-worked move to tie the scores at half-time.
Jill Rutzen was gifted a second goal, but again the GB reply was swift as Littlewood’s close-range finish hauled them level with eight minutes left.
However, once skipper Svenja Schaeper restored the lead for a second time, short-handed GB ran out of steam as three goals in four minutes from Hilke Vogt (2) and Katharin Gruenewald sealed a 6-2 win.
GB still had plenty to play for in a seventh/eighth-place play-off against Denmark, with the final World Games qualifying spot going to the winner.
Anna Thorslund’s shot was deflected in off two paddles for the opener, while GB struck the bar as the Danes edged into a 1-0 half-time lead.
Britain continued to plug away and midway through the second half, Georgie Longbottom fed a pass inside for Littlewood to power them level.
With time running out, Littlewood’s last-gasp attempt from range struck the top bar.
With one sub available for their final match, GB could have done without the extra exertions of overtime.
Yet they created the greater threat in the first period as McBay hit top bar when one-on-one and Sara Lanao-Madden had a shot deflected against the goal frame.
Britain had a gilt-edged chance to win it in the second period when two British players broke clear on goal.
Yet somehow the Danish keeper made a point-blank stop from Longbottom, and with 70 seconds remaining, Lara Robra found space to slot in the golden goal.