Tiffany Porter and the women’s 4x400m relay team ensured it was a very successful penultimate night at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow as they claimed bronze medals.
Porter stormed to a personal best time of 12.55 seconds in the 100m hurdles final in the Luzhniki Stadium to take third and become Britain’s first-ever medallist in the event at a World Championships.
The 25-year-old was edged out of the higher medal positions by USA's Brianna Rollins, who took gold in 12.44, while Olympic champion Sally Pearson had to settle for silver.
And while there was little to separate the top three, Porter insisted that the bronze medal felt like a gold one after a troubled couple of years with injury.
“I'm just so happy, I'm elated,” she said. “It's been a very difficult season for me and I've made a lot of changes.
“But I've maintained the faith throughout the season despite the races I've had and I'm happy I was able to put it together today when it mattered the most.
“I respect all of my competitors and those ladies are very talented. It's just a matter of who executes their race when it matters and I'm just happy I was able to come away with a medal.
“The semi-final earlier in the evening kind of messed with my mind a little bit as I hit that hurdle and I was like ‘my goodness, what is going on’.
“But I was able to block it out of my mind and just focus on running the next race and I was happy that it was a clean race and I was able to come away with a medal.”
That took the British medal count in Moscow to five as the British 4x400m relay team of Eilidh Child, Shana Cox, Margaret Adeoye and Christine Ohuruogu ended up third in a season’s best time of 3:22.61 minutes just moments earlier.
The gold went to the Russian team who edged out USA in front of a vociferous home support but bronze never looked in doubt for the Brits as newly-crowned 400m world champion Ohurougu never looked troubled on the anchor leg.
“I’m really happy,” captain Ohuruogu said. “We’re not quite finished as a team yet in the champs, we’ve still got one day left, but I think it’s been a good day for us.
“I really am proud of the team; they all turn up, show up and do exactly what’s asked of them, they’re phenomenal athletes.
“Eilidh with what she’s run, Margaret who stepped in last minute to cover for Perri [Shakes-Drayton] and Shana who always runs a good leg.
“I’ve got a bronze and a gold for me which is great but to be honest after the relay I’m more happy for my teammates in getting a bronze.”
And finally Adam Gemili was powerless to prevent Usain Bolt streaming to his seventh world title in the 200m final but the 19-year-old is confident it is only a matter of time before he is challenging for medals of his own.
Gemili ended up fifth in a time of 20.08 seconds, only four-hundredths-of-a-second behind America’s Curtis Mitchell who took bronze.
And while that was slightly down on his historical effort of 19.98 in the semi-final the night before, this was Gemili’s first-ever global outdoor final and the youngster was delighted with his efforts.
“What an incredible experience that was for my first senior final, to be outside of Usain Bolt and just being the top eight in the world and then finish fifth, I'm very proud and very grateful,” said Gemili.
“I was introduced just after Bolt when the whole crowd erupted and I was thinking wow I hope one day that could be me, it just puts a smile on my face so I can stay relaxed.
“It was very close to a medal, and I missed out on the 100m final at London 2012 by four hundredths of a second as well.
“Hopefully as I get older and a bit stronger that gap will come down and in a few years I will be up there getting medals.”
© Sportsbeat 2013