Johnson‑Thompson achieved her sixth global podium with bronze at last year’s World Championships, her third in as many years, after a career‑threatening Achilles rupture. She had only competed once since, in the shot put at an event in Loughborough in May, and withdrew from last month’s Commonwealth Games to focus on this competition.

Having competed at Alexander Stadium as a junior, she was determined to start the race and soak in the home crowd’s adoration. Though she has never won a European title, further global honours await with the next World Championships and Olympic Games in the next two years.

“It is obviously far from my best. Not the competition I would have wanted, but in a way it is,” she said. “It was important to me that I finished. I wanted to do it for my team as we worked so hard to be here.” She noted that after the initial shock of the hurdles and the 200m she returned with a different mindset to soak it all in. Since 2012 I have only ever missed one. It is important to me, I enjoy the experience now more than ever.