Christine Ohuruogu produced yet another thrilling late surge in the 400m to become the first British female to win two World Championship titles.
The 29-year-old also broke Kathy Cooke’s long-standing British record by two hundredths of a second as she beat defending champion Amantle Montsho in a photo finish.
Both Ohuruogu and Montsho clocked 49.41 seconds, but it was the Briton who was deemed the winner by four thousandths of a second.
Ohuruogu, the 2007 world champion, gasped in astonishment as she learned of her victory.
The battle could not have been closer. Botswana’s Montsho, 30, had victory within her grasp and even as the two athletes stood on the finishing line, anxiously awaiting the final result, Ohuruogu gave the impression that her perfectly-timed dip had not been enough.
But after closer inspection, it was revealed that the Londoner had crossed the line in 49.404 secs, while Montsho, who arched her back as she went for the line, ran home in 49.408secs.
Ohuruogu shook her defeated rival’s hand before draping herself in a giant union flag and, amidst all the drama, it was almost forgotten by the crowd that they had further reason to cheer as Russia’s Antonina Krivoshapka claimed bronze.
Ohuruogu told BBC Sport: “I can’t believe I’ve done that, it feels like a dream. It is what I have been working towards all season. It was so tight on the line and I was so desperate to win it. I just wanted my name to come up. The last couple of days have been really tough and I just want to thank everyone who helped me. It feels really surreal and strange, it doesn’t feel like I’m really here.
“I was thinking do what you can, just get over the line. The icing on the cake is the national record, that’s all I wanted. Whatever you want just go for it, I am really happy I kept believing and trusting in what I could do.”
Ohurougu could not stem the tears as she stood on top of the podium. She attempted to sing the anthem, but the emotion was too much.
The captain, who had earlier this week told her team to ‘burn the ships’ in her speech, had given it her all and had nothing left after securing a second gold of the championships for Britain, after Mo Farah took the 10,000m title on the opening day.
Ohuruogu, described by UK Athletics performance director Neil Black, as one of Britain’s greatest ever athletes, was chosen to captain the British team for her ability to peak for championship finals.
It was come-from-nowhere dashes which helped her become world champion in 2007 and Olympic champion a year later, and the Briton left it late in London 12 months ago, propelling herself from sixth to second – with Montsho one of the athletes overtaken at the Olympic Stadium – to win Olympic silver.
Montsho, 30, was the pre-race favourite – her personal best of 49.33, set in Monaco in July, the quickest time in the world this year, but Ohuruogu has a habit of beating opponents of supposedly superior credentials, she did so to become Commonwealth, world and Olympic champion, and did it again in Moscow in perhaps her most memorable race of all.