By Ian Gordon, PA Sport, Edmonton

Kelly Holmes has admitted that Britain's World Championship challenge turned into an anticlimax after the athletes failed to meet the expectation created by their Sydney Olympics success story.

Holmes, one of six British medallists in the Olympics, was unable to repeat her bronze medal winning feat in the 800 metres in Edmonton yesterday when she finished sixth.

Britain's injury-hit squad were left with just Jonathan Edwards' triple jump gold and decathlete Dean Macey's bronze to celebrate from 10 days of action in the Commonwealth Stadium.

It was the worst performance at a major championships in 25 years since Brendan Foster returned home from Canada with a solitary athletics bronze from the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

The medal count was three less than their previous worst from a world championships, with the 1995 squad returning from Gothenburg with just five medals including a solitary gold from Edwards.

"There was huge expectation because of what happened in Sydney last year," admitted Holmes, who reached the final despite problems with a form of glandular fever and chronic fatigue syndrome this year.

"But the people who feel the most disappointed are the athletes. When you are competing against the best in the world it's not easy.

"It's been an anticlimax after last year. People were not up to their best on the day and it's down to individuals not the team as a whole."

David Moorcroft, chief executive of UK Athletics, said: "Thank goodness we got the gold from Jonathan.

"It's disappointing that so many of our athletes were injured and were not able to be here," added Moorcroft. "Of the six medals we got in Sydney three of those were not able to compete, which is a huge blow.

"But the French only got a couple of medals and Germany have not had an outstanding championship. Loads of people have been complaining about post-Olympic blues and that has been a factor although we are not using it as an excuse.

"The Olympics were late. The huge amount of work athletes would have done to get to the Olympics took them close to breaking point and for some of them training again this year they have broken down."

Holmes was unable to stay with her rivals at the end as Olympic champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique regained her title in a thrilling finish with Austria's Stephanie Graf.

Leeds' Mick Hill had kept British hopes alive in the javelin after Steve Backley bombed out, but struggling with an Achilles problem he finished 12th as Czech Jan Zelezny regained his world crown with a championship best throw of 92.80m.

Britain's women finished fifth in the 4x400m relay in a season's best of three minutes 26.94 seconds, while the men, so used to success at the event, were back in sixth spot.