Huddersfield's Marcus Ellis and partner Chris Langridge were knocked out of the Olympic men's badminton competition in the semi-finals by China.
The duo were aiming to confirm Britain's first medal in the sport for 12 years, after Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson won silver in the mixed doubles in Athens.
The Brits faced fourth-seeded Chinese pair Haifeng Fu and Nan Zhang in the semi-final, but were well beaten 21-14 in the first game.
Ellis and Langridge rallied, but were pipped to the decisive second game 21-18.
The two put in a spirited performance, but were beaten by a strong pair - with China's Fu holding the record for the fastest smash of a shuttlecock on record - at an incredible 206mph.
The British pair will now face Chinese team Chai Biao and Hong Wei on Thursday to decide which country will take the bronze medal.
