Andrew Pozzi firmly put his injury struggles behind him with European glory on the opening day of the Indoor Championships in Belgrade – his first senior medal on the international stage.
Two-time Olympian Pozzi, who continues to hold the world lead time this season, stopping the clock in 7.51 seconds ahead of French defending champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde and Czech Petr Svoboda.
But he soon found his rhythm to storm back into contention, edging Martinot-Lagarde to the title by just 0.01 seconds.
And for 24-year-old Pozzi, the hard work and resilience had finally paid off.
“I had a really slow start and just sat in the blocks to be safe, and then at halfway, I thought ‘I’m not losing this one’ and just gave it everything,” he said.
“I gave it a big dip on the line, and I’m so happy to win. I knew it was tight, I thought I had got it but I wasn’t sure so I didn’t want to celebrate until I saw it.”
He added: “It means everything [to get first senior medal]. I don’t want to go on about it but it’s been a long old road and I wasn’t always sure I’d get to the level I wanted to be at.
“This is the first Championships I’ve come into with a good amount of work behind me, and I felt really confident because I’ve actually had the opportunity to do the training.
“I’ve always been only half-prepared because I haven’t been able to do the work, so to be able to feel like I’m getting there makes it all worth it.”
Elsewhere on Friday’s first day of competition, Laura Muir, Sarah McDonald and Tom Lancashire ensured a smooth passage into their respective 1500m finals, while senior debutant Laviai Nielsen booked her spot in the 400m medal race.
Muir also qualified for Sunday’s 3000m final, alongside Steph Twell and Eilish McColgan, while on the field, a jump of 1.90m saw Morgan Lake qualify for the high jump final.
There was disappointment for Rio 4x400m relay bronze medallist Eilidh Doyle, however, as she narrowly missed out on joining Nielsen in the final with a third place finish in her semi-final.
Tomorrow’s action kicks off at 8.30am GMT, and you can catch it live on BBC Two.
Sportsbeat 2017