Chris O’Hare in showpiece final at World Championships

“I kind of pretended that I knew what I was doing, in races like these you have to blag it because these guys know what they’re doing,” the 22-year-old said. “I had to put a brave face on and blag it and to be in a final in a stadium like this is just fantastic. I would have taken your hand off for this and to be worrying about recovering for a final is pretty nice.”

Eilidh Child might have missed out on a medal at the first time of asking, but the Scot insists she is not about to let lightning strike twice in Russia. The 26-year-old was back in action in the Luzhniki Stadium yesterday morning, just hours after finishing fifth in the 400m hurdles final the previous night.

Despite this being a fine result in her first major outdoor championships final, Child was left ruing the fact that her personal best and national record of 54.22 seconds would have been good enough for bronze. However, she was afforded the perfect chance to get over the disappointment as she went in Great Britain’s 4x400m relay squad the very next morning, leading the quartet off as they won their heat in 3:25.39.

Child insists the run-out helped her forgot the previous night’s woes, and she is determined to make the most of her second crack at the Russian podium after breezing into today’s 4x400m final. “After sleeping on it I would have to say I am quite happy with how my 400m hurdles final went,” said Child, who was joined by Shana Cox, Margaret Adeoye and Christine Ohuruogu in the relay.

“Obviously my PB would have won a medal but then again if everyone had run a PB I would not have been near a medal. So to get fifth in the world and to come out with a solid run in my first global final is very pleasing. I found out after the final that I was going to run in the relay heat so I just tried to recover as quickly as possible.

“Also I didn’t get too much sleep as I had to go through anti-doping, so I’m happy just to come out with a solid run and I can just go back and relax knowing the job has been done and come out stronger for the final.”

Scotland’s Laura Muir failed to reach the 800m final, finishing her semi-final seventh in 2:00.83, while Great Britain’s men’s 4x400m relay squad of Conrad Williams, Martyn Rooney, Michael Bingham and Nigel Levine finished just off the podium in fourth.

Meanwhile, Adam Gemili became only the second-ever Briton and the first-ever European teenager to run under 20 seconds in the 200m as he reached today’s final in impressive fashion, clocking 19.98 seconds in winning his semi-final. “I was in shock going over the line and seeing the time, I was looking around and I didn’t quite realise it was me that had won it until I looked up on the big screen,” 19-year-old Gemili said. “I will go out in the final and execute and if I run how I know I can run I don’t see why I can’t get a medal.”

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