Noemie Fox says she ends her slalom world championships campaign in heartbreak, believing she still had "more left in the tank" after falling short of a medal.
Australia's best paddlers will leave Penrith Whitewater Stadium with just two bronze medals after a tough Saturday in the kayak cross discipline.
Fox, looking to back up her Olympic kayak cross gold medal, fell short of the quarter-finals after a last-placed finish in her heat.
The 28-year-old had to go the long way on the final competition day, finishing third in her opening race before going second-fastest in her repechage round.
Lucien Delfour reached the quarter-finals as Australia's best in the men's category, but was knocked out with a last-placed finish in his race after committing a fault at the second gate.
French paddler Angele Hug took the women's kayak cross gold, while Great Britain's Joseph Clarke triumphed in the men's final.
"There was so much more left in the tank," Fox said.
"Most starts were really, really rough today.
"I didn't ever get the starts that I wanted and I just struggled from there to make space and attack as I wanted to.
"I'm finishing with a big heartbreak and pretty devastated to be knocked out so early."
Fox reached both the C1 and K1 finals but finished ninth and 12th, respectively.
She had started her worlds campaign brightly, going fifth-fastest in the kayak time trials and fifth again in the team event.
Australia found their two medals through unlikely sources, with Kaylen Bassett snaring the first with a third-place finish in the men's C1 final.
Kate Eckhardt stunned the kayak top order to be third in the women's K1 category.
Fox said missing a podium finish on home soil only added to her heartbreak.
"That's what makes me so upset, is to not have thanked the crowd in the way that they supported me in Paris," Fox said.
"It's extremely hard to walk away without having stepped on that podium.
"I know a lot of people are proud, but it's just hard to digest that result.
"It's a result that will hopefully make me stronger because there's nothing more painful than feeling disappointed in front of so many people who were here to support you."
Tim Anderson looked on song to add to Australia's medal haul after a near-flawless display in his first race on Saturday.
But he only progressed as far as the heats, crossing the finish line in fourth.
His placing was adjusted to third after Germany's Stefan Hengst was found to have committed a fault at gate five in the heat.
Delfour also benefited from a rival's mistake to reach the quarter-finals, originally finishing third in his heat before top seed and first-placed David Llorente was relegated to last for a fault also at gate five.
Fox's teammate Codie Davidson was knocked out in her repechage round, finishing fourth after missing an early gate.
French paddler Camille Prigent was second in the women's kayak cross as Klaudia Zwolinska added a bronze medal to her haul.
Poland's Zwolinska, earlier in the week, became the first woman to win both C1 and K1 gold at the world championship since Australian superstar Jess Fox completed the feat in 2018.
Mathurin Madore claimed silver in the men's to add to France's haul, with Czech paddler Matyas Novak third.
