Australia was so close to an unexpected medal in the mixed aerials team event.
So, so close.
In a sport where the difference between success and failure is so desperately tight, where landing a jump or causing yourself catastrophic injury is a matter of inches, Australia came close to sealing a bronze medal, or even more.
But despite two calamitous crashes from Chinese athletes resulting in some tight judging calls — which were not at all contentious, according to Scott — the Aussies just missed out after some extraordinary jumping from the United States and Switzerland.
In extraordinarily difficult conditions, Australia's team of Danielle Scott, Abbey Willcox and Reily Flanagan powered to the big final thanks to a series of stunning leaps.
Soaring over 11-and-a-half metres in the air, Scott scored a whopping 120.20 points — a new personal best — for her back full-full-full.
"That was pretty special," Scott said of that qualifying leap.
"I think it's a little bit of redemption for dragging my hands on that individual jump.
"I just wanted to put everything out there again."
Willcox's back full back full earned a fantastic 81.78 and Flanagan's back double full-full earned him 87.06 as Australia outperformed powerhouse teams like Canada and Ukraine.
It needs to be stated just how impressive getting to the final four was for Australia.
Of all seven entries, Australia was the only one who had two women and a man, as opposed to two men.
That is important because men regularly produce higher-difficulty level jumps and, with no points compensation for having two women as opposed to two men in the three-person team, the Aussies were always up against it.
The highest trick score a woman lands in competition is a back full-full-full at 4.293. The highest a man did in this final was a back double full double full-full at 5.100.
Not only that, but Australia had two skiers completing doubles (highest trick score of 3.525) instead of triples — both of them debutants at these Games.
"That's what we've got to remember and that's why I'm so proud of these guys," Scott said.
"We literally pulled it all out there and we'll come back stronger.
"We'll have more DD [degrees of difficulty] and, hopefully, some more guys on the team if anyone's interested."
All that being considered, reaching the final four was just extraordinary.
"Look, we're stoked," Scott said.
"To be in a final at the Olympics for us is huge. We really put everything on the line and anything can happen in a team event.
"So I'm just proud of these guys. We did a good job."
The levels of excitement at the base of the jump matched the Australian team's enthusiasm and performances.
Chef de mission and two-time aerials medallist Alisa Camplin-Warner was bouncing around in contagious joy as the Aussies excelled with their trio of superb leaps.
"Honour the moment," she said as she flew past, a blur of energy and support, knowing that this was a brilliant chance.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
"You've got to remember that we don't have the degree of difficulty that all the other nations do," Scott said.
"We are still a young team.
"You've got to remember Riley just started this sport a few years ago, so this is setting the pathway for the future.
"I'm pretty excited to see where we can go with this team now."
Plenty of people watching the final might have got quite excited about Australia's prospects with the number of big falls in the final four.
Switzerland's Lina Kozomara failed to land her first jump, although Willcox also slipped on her landing.
Then, two of China's biggest stars also spectacularly failed to land their efforts, Wang Xindi twice somersaulting down the landing area, before a distraught Li Tianma also fell badly.
Li landed so heavily that he needed to be carried to the waiting area by Wang, yet somewhat-remarkably scored around the same score as Flanagan and Scott.
However, given the landing only amounts to 30 per cent of the entire score, landing in an unceremonious heap isn't always heavily penalised, paradoxically, especially when the degree of difficulty is so high.
The two Chinese athletes scored 87.72 and 95.37, respectively, for their failed jumps, which, coupled with an uncharacteristically untidy back full-full-full from individual champion Xu Mengtao, saw them clinch third.
"Yeah, look it's easy to get excited a little bit too quickly," Scott said.
"But they have that higher degree of difficulty.
"Landing is obviously important, it's 30 per cent of the score, but with that higher degree of difficulty, it just factors in that way.
"We just need to get some more training and we'll have bigger tricks next time.
"A little bit unfortunate, but that's OK, you can think we deserved it."
After her 120-point score in the first round, Scott was only awarded 95 in the second after a landing in which she had to brace deeply, however the 35-year-old individual silver medallist was not put out by the score.
"To get 120 on the jump before, that was my personal best," she said.
"I think 95 was OK, the landing was deep … I'll watch the replay and get real critical but you know, it's a judged sport and you just got to take what you get."
Despite the disappointment of missing a medal, there are plenty of positives for the Aussies, not least with the performances of Flanagan, who only took up the sport five years ago, and Willcox, making her Olympic debut after so many years of frustration.
"Everyone hopes they're better in four years' time, but this experience has been incredible for me," Flanagan said.
"It's been a lot of learning up and down, but with this experience, I'll be able to hopefully improve a lot more and carry on through the next four years."
Flanagan's score of 95.88 — Australia's highest scoring jump in the final — was an in-competition personal best.
"Like, the best feeling of my life for sure," the former gymnast said.
"I was just super happy when I landed that."
Willcox was disappointed not to have landed her jump, but her back full double full in the opening round was spectacular and ensured that Australia were in the final in the first place.
"Yeah, I mean, that's just part of the sport, I guess," Willcox said.
"The condition's always changing and you've got to adjust to it.
"For me, unfortunately, I was a little bit too big on my jump and it didn't work out in the end."
Watching the performances of the USA and Switzerland though, and it would have mattered little what the three Aussies were able to do.
Noé Roth, who periodically trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Water Jump, was extraordinary, landing a magical back double full double full-full, the highest-difficulty jump of the entire competition, to earn Switzerland silver with a score of 129.54.
However, the Americans' consistency saw their team of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Chris Lillis claim an excellent victory.
