Pete Waterfield revealed he apologised to team-mate Tom Daley after they missed out on a medal in the 10 metre platform synchro dive at the Aquatics Centre.
The British duo had been on course for the first home gold medal of these Olympics when they led their all-conquering Chinese rivals at the halfway stage. But a fluffed fourth dive, when Waterfield was most culpable after over-rotating his back three-and-a-half somersaults, saw them crash out of the top three.
Despite a solid finish they were unable to make up the lost ground and finished fourth, with China's teenage duo Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan taking gold ahead of Mexico and the United States.
Afterwards, four-time Olympian Waterfield admitted he had apologised to Daley but revealed the 18-year-old, who had also failed to produce his best on one of the easier dives in their routine, refused to lay any blame.
"After that fourth dive I actually said sorry to Tom," said Waterfield, who won an Olympic silver in the platform synchro alongside Leon Taylor at Athens 2004.
"I said: 'Sorry mate'. That's when he said: 'Don't worry we've got our next one and we've got a big one'. Unfortunately it just wasn't big enough to get back."
Daley famously fell out with Blake Aldridge during the platform synchro at the last Olympics in Beijing when he claimed his former partner answered a phone call from his mother between dives.
Ironically, Daley's mum was interviewed on the big screen before their final dive, before he this time absolved his team-mate of any blame after they fell 8.82 points short of the United States in the bronze medal position.
"We're a team. At the end of the day that's it, full stop," Daley said. "We're a team and we win together and we lose together. We're proud of being here at the Olympic Games in front of a home crowd.
"It's been a tough year for me training-wise and it's been tough for Pete with injury and things like that. You win as a team and you lose as a team."