The world championships in Tokyo produced two standout performances from pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
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Other stars dazzled too in Japan's National Stadium as the USA and Kenya asserted their authority on the track.
ARMAND DUPLANTIS (Sweden, men's pole vault)
Deep into the Tokyo night, Duplantis electrified a packed crowd by setting the 14th world record of his career in an event he has re-defined.
The US-born Swede, one of athletics' genuine superstars, seems to be able to summon up world records at will – his latest is 6.30 metres.
"I felt the only way to leave Japan was to set the world record," Duplantis said.
His ecstatic celebrations with his competitors, his parents and his girlfriend Desire Inglander, were also fun to watch.
SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE (USA, women's 400m)
She came, she saw and she duly conquered a new event, nearly breaking a 40-year-old world record in a remarkable women's 400m final.
McLaughlin-Levrone already dominates the one-lap hurdles event, so when the American fully turned her attention to the flat race, it was an exciting prospect.
She did not disappoint, blasting to a time of 47.78sec, the second fastest in history and just behind the 47.60sec set by Marita Koch of the former East Germany in 1985.
McLaughlin-Levrone was running on a wet Tokyo track. It is hoped that in different conditions, the American can one day erase a record that is widely viewed with suspicion because of East Germany's state-sponsored doping programme, although Koch never tested positive.
MELISSA JEFFERSON-WOODEN (USA, women's 100m and 200m, 4x100m relay)
The American became just the second woman to win a sprint treble at a world championships since Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.
Victory in the 4x100m relay with the USA quartet on Sunday added to a commanding 100m performance that left Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred for dead. Jefferson-Wooden, 24, became the fourth fastest 100m performer in history with a time of 10.61sec.
She was even more comfortable in the longer sprint and will now have her eyes fixed on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
OBLIQUE SEVILLE (Jamaica, men's 100m)
The 24-year-old Jamaican has long promised great things but in Tokyo he emphatically delivered, leaving teammate Kishane Thompson and Olympic champion Noah Lyles with the minor medals as he blasted to the men's 100m gold in 9.77sec.
In doing so, he ushered in a new era of men's Jamaican sprinting, following in the footsteps of his now-retired mentor Usain Bolt, a delighted spectator in Tokyo.
Guided by Bolt's old coach Glen Mills, Seville staked a claim as the coming man in the fiercely competitive sprint world.
"Track and field is both mental and physical. But to be honest, I think I have mastered the mental part of it. Now, more gold medals!" he said.
JIMMY GRESSIER (France, men's 10 000m and 5 000m)
Gressier was an unlikely winner of the 10 000m, an event normally dominated by athletes from east Africa or of African origin.
In lively post-race interviews, the Frenchman thanked the anti-doping authorities for "creating a level playing field", and promised to buy his girlfriend a car with his prize money.
He added a 5 000m bronze medal on the final night.
BEATRICE CHEBET (Kenya, women's 5 000m and 10 000m)
Chebet produced a blistering burst of speed to win the women's 5 000m and deny her fellow Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, the 1 500m winner, a double gold.
In the process, Chebet earned a memorable double herself, having also won the 10 000m.
The gold medals at these championships – Kenya also took the men's and women's 800m titles, the women's marathon and the women's steeplechase – were a much-needed tonic for the east African running powerhouse which is battling against a raft of doping cases, most notably one involving the women's marathon world record holder, Ruth Chepngetich.
GEORDIE BEAMISH (New Zealand, men's 3 000m steeplechase)
Beamish took a tumble in the heats of the steeplechase but jumped up and still qualified. Perhaps it was written in the stars that he would produce a last-gasp spurt to edge defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali for gold in the final.
His surprise win was followed a day later by Olympic champion Hamish Kerr's high jump victory, making it a rare two golds for New Zealand.