By Ian Gordon, PA Sport, Sydney

Darren Campbell's silver celebrations were tainted on Friday after being denied the chance to strike a second Olympic medal without stepping onto the track.

The 27-year-old was just beginning to savour his second place in the 200 metres on Thursday when he discovered that his hopes of another medal had evaporated in Sydney.

Campbell was not at the Olympic Stadium on Friday morning as his sprint relay team-mates were being bundled out of the event at the first round.

"It's a big disappointment," admitted the Cardiff-based runner.

"But not just for me, for the whole team.

"We expected to get a medal in the relay. We did not expect to be leaving with anything less than a silver and we intended to give it our best shot on the track to get the gold.

"Now I won't be able to get back on the track and finish the job.

"But I will have to come to terms with that myself."

The British team also failed to make the final in Atlanta in 1996 after Darren Braithwaite and Campbell dropped the baton, denying Linford Christie, now his coach, a final Olympic swansong.

But Campbell, who was replaced in the heat by Allyn Condon, said on Friday: "Nobody has anything to apologise to me for. We win and lose as a team.

"We have had three great years in the relay and I knew something was going to happen sooner or later. Nobody's perfect.

"I have not watched a video of what happened today and to be honest I don't want to.

"I didn't get to bed until 5am and Jamie (Baulch) woke me, saying 'You're a legend, You're a legend.

"No-one can stop you now.' But I just went back to sleep.

"I then went for a meeting with Linford and when I got there I was given the sign that we were out. I couldn't believe it."

Britain's sprint squad were confident they could at least take silver on Saturday and were not ruling out their chances of beating the United States who came through both their rounds today with ease.

But Condon and Jason Gardener botched the first changeover while Marlon Devonish and Dwain Chambers ran out of the blocks at the last handover to cause the disqualification, although they finished last anyway.

"They are absolutely devastated," admitted head coach Max Jones.

"It could have been the icing on the cake.

"We've had a great Games so far and the 4x100m was one of our medal bankers really.

"But you've got to get through the rounds to get in the final to have a chance of a medal and unfortunately we didn't make it. We tried to make it safety first, but obviously it didn't work."

"They've worked as a team of six or seven, attended relay practices, done well at previous championships, brought medals home.

"We assumed that we'd get in the final and get a medal and maybe on the day beat the Americans. But it just wasn't to be. That's relays.

"It's the first time in three years we haven't got the baton round. It was a faulty hand-change by the look of it, but there's a lot of pressure out there.

"I don't want to apportion blame, because they've practised and practised and it just didn't go right on the day."

Manchester-born Campbell, meanwhile, admitted today that the disappointment of missing out on the gold was sinking in.

Campbell beat favourite Ato Boldon into third spot, but could not stop the previously unknown Greek, Konstantinos Kenteris, come charging down the home straight to win in 20.09 secs.

"I am starting to become disappointed because I have not won gold," said Campbell, who was also sixth in the 100m final. "I am a competitor and I always try to seek perfection.

"The fact that it is silver is hitting me, but I will be back in four years. If anybody had told me I would return from here with an Olympic medal then I'd have taken it."

Campbell had considered returning to football - he was on Plymouth's books and played for several non-league clubs, following a fallow year last season after his European 100m triumph in Budapest in 1998.

"I have a family now and it was getting harder and harder training and having to travel to places like Australia, it is very expensive," said Campbell, who has an 18-month son with his fiance Clair.

"I was going downhill with it all. My goal here was to get a medal, if I had not then I would have gone back to football.

"But a few weeks before the Games FILA came in and offered me a great deal. It meant I did not have to come here running for a shoe contract.

"I came here with no pressure. All I had to do was come and run and I enjoyed that, it was a great feeling."

Campbell, who will delay his return to Cardiff to compete in the Grand Prix Final in Doha next week, is confident he is now up there with the best.

"It means a lot to me given the time I have had that the likes of Ato Boldon came up to me, saying, 'You deserve it, you have struggled so hard.' That means more to me than anything," he added.

"I've competed in meetings like the grand prix final before and though I've beaten the top guys you never really see yourself as a world-class athlete.

"It's hit me now that I can. I've got my dream.

"When people look at Maurice Greene or Ato Boldon, they can also look at Darren Campbell now and say he is a good sprinter."