Sport has a way of responding to events that challenge its cornerstone foundations of fair play, tolerance and peace.
Sometimes just playing on is the only way, even when no words can truly express your horror or your outrage.
And so it was that under cloudless blue skies, Manchester again came out to play on balmy early summer Friday evening.
History may quickly forget the times clocked, distances jumped and heights cleared at the Great City Games. And the athletes will move on to bigger targets, with London's IAAF World Championships now exactly ten weeks away and counting.
But this grieving city will long remember this weekend's response to the atrocity of Monday night - collective acts of defiance to those whose warped beliefs oppose everything sport stands for.
Bumper crowds turned out to watch this popular city centre athletics meeting and many thousands more are expected to compete and cheer in Sunday's Great Manchester Run, Europe's biggest 10km race.
"We had an incredible crowd behind us and it was a really special atmosphere with so many people willing us on," said 2012 Olympic champion Greg Rutherford, who jumped a season's best 8.18m to win the men's long jump.
"After such a tragic event, I think it's important that everybody comes together and shows it's not going to stop people leading a normal life.
"The crowd certainly inspired me and I'm a bit lost for words with that performance. I've not trained for the last three weeks because of an ankle injury and I've spent the last few months in America struggling with my back.
"I didn't think this would be a good competition but I'm genuinely thrilled with that performance."
Asha Phillip edged out 2012 Olympic sprint hurdles gold medallist Sally Pearson to win the women's 100m in 11.48 seconds while Holly Bradshaw soared to a new national record 4.80 metres to claim the women's pole vault, a clearance which ranks her third in the world this season.
"The conditions were perfect and I'm so chuffed," said Bradshaw, whose previous outdoor best was 7.91m. "I know I'm capable of winning a medal at the World Championships given the shape I'm in but lots of people are jumping really well.
"Training has been going great and I've never been in better shape. I wanted to do myself justice in this competition and there is still plenty more to work on, which is really exciting."
Elsewhere, Olympic semi-finalist James Dasaolu clocked 10.25 seconds to win the 100m ahead of British team-mates Joel Fearon and Andrew Robertson.
Sportsbeat 2017