Britain's sprinters laid down a marker ahead of the European Championships on the second day of the Anniversary Games.
An emotional day at the London Stadium also marked Greg Rutherford’s final competition in an arena which saw him claim his historic 2012 Olympic gold on the Super Saturday now firmly etched into British sporting folklore.
But it was Britain’s speedsters who caught the eye, clocking dominant victories in the 4x100m relays which will no doubt see other countries sit up and take note ahead of next month’s European Championships in Berlin.
Morgan Lake continued her rise up the ranks with an impressive third in the high jump with a best leap of 1.91m, with Katarina Johnson-Thompson ninth overall despite jumping the same height for a season's best.
British fans were treated to some speedy success first up, with both the men’s and women’s quartets storming home in the 4x100m relay.
The men’s time of 37.61s was the fastest in the world this year, with the foursome of CJ Ujah, Zharnel Hughes, Adam Gemili and Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake finishing comfortably ahead of Japan in second, with Netherlands third in 38.21.
“It was nice to come out here in front of a home crowd and feel the same sort of vibe we felt at last year’s World Championships,” said Ujah. “I can’t really complain, the boys have all done and amazing job and going into Berlin, it is only good luck.
Hughes added: “I saw CJ coming around the bend and I was like, ‘I have to get out’. So I got out, I held my own and passed onto Adam and Adam was so good on the bend and Nethaneel just had to finish it at the end and he did.
“We are confident as a team. This team right now is amazing to be a part of. I call it a golden era of British sprinting so it is a nice feeling and now we move onto Berlin.”
The women’s quartet of Asha Philip, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and and Daryll Neita proved equally quick with victory in a season's best 42.36s ahead of China in second and Netherlands once more in third.
Neita, who brought the baton home for the Brits, believes the team are getting stronger and stronger.
“We’re just running faster all the time since the 2012 Olympics in this stadium and it shows the progress we’re all making," she said.
It was no fairy tale ending in London for Rutherford, competing for the last time on the tracks of the capital, as he ended his golden goodbye to supporters with a tenth-placed effort.
And the 31-year-old, set to retire at the end of the season, admitted the emotion of the occasion, as well as an ankle problem, played a factor in him failing to trouble the top three on the day.
“I’m incredibly emotional and I was fighting my emotions the whole way through and this is a problem," he said. "If you haven’t had the training to go off the runway it’s so difficult and I went from three different marks just to make sure I got on the board and it wasn’t really happening.
“When I went to plant on the third jump my ankle was giving me so much grief that I couldn’t push it. It was incredible that everyone got behind me.”
Despite a season’s best of 20.21s, Mitchell-Blake was edged out of a place in the top three of the 200m individual event, finishing fourth ahead of Gemili in fifth.
In a high-quality women’s 200m final, Dina Asher-Smith’s season’s best effort of 22.25s ensured she finished fourth – it only took personal bests from American pair Jenna Prandini and Gabrielle Thomas, as well as a storming run from Shericka Jackson, to keep her out of the top three.
Double European indoor champion Laura Muir admitted that a quick start cost her in the women’s mile as she came home fifth.
“I’m here to make the most of the opportunity and go for it, but I was a bit fast in the first half of the race and that showed in the latter half,” admitted the Scot.
Lynsey Sharp turned in a solid effort as she continues her push for European selection, the Scottish athlete finishing third in the 800m with a time of 1:59.34.
Elsewhere, Andrew Pozzi just missed out on a top three place in the 110m hurdles, his time of 13.36s good enough for fourth behind Jamaican Ronald Levy and American duo Devon Allen and Freddie Crittenden.
Jade Lally was seventh in the discus, while Anyika Onuora was the best of the Brits in the 400m as she claimed fifth, Jake Wightman’s personal best of 1:44.61 also sealing fifth in the men’s 800m.
Sportsbeat 2018