Josh Kerr went clattering to the deck at the end of his 1500m semi-final but later brushed it off with barely a second's thought.
After all, he is steeling himself for a full-blooded battle and warned his gold-medal challengers to ‘bring it’ in tomorrow’s World Athletics Championships final.
The 27-year-old will lead a trio of Scots into one of the must-watch races of the week but qualification was far from straightforward in Tokyo.
Kerr was uninjured after being tripped just as he crossed the line and later blamed organisers for not showing the race on the giant screens, which would have told him where his rivals were.
Kerr finished second in his semi-final, just ahead of compatriot and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman.
He was later handed a major boost when Olympic champion Cole Hocker was disqualified for elbowing his way past rivals in the second semi.
Kerr is bidding to become the first British athlete to go back-to-back at the World Championships since Mo Farah won his third straight 10,000m title eight years ago.
Despite Hocker joining Jakob Ingebrigtsen in missing the final, it is expected to be a wide-open race, with Dutchman Niels Laros – who is unbeaten at this distance this season – and former champion Timothy Cheruiyot strong contenders.
Wightman, back in a global final for the first time since he won the title three years ago, also looked excellent, while Neil Gourley completes the three British hopefuls.
But Kerr insists he is the man to beat and told his challengers to bring it.
“I would say it's one of the most confident I've gone into a world final,” he said. “Each championship has been their own kind of challenges and fun, and I'll keep doing what I can to show up and medal and go after the gold.
“It's my title, it will be a real battle for whoever wants to come take it off me, but, just keep an eye out on that last lap and I'm going to get some work done.”
Wightman’s return to his best adds another flavour to an already mouth-watering race.
The Linlithgow runner was keeping expectations low before travelling to Tokyo after two years of injury hell and inconsistent form.
“It feels like a long time since, but I've navigated this week pretty well,” the 31-year-old said.
“I just need to make sure I give a good account myself on Wednesday.”
Meanwhile, Gourley apologised to his mum for putting her through a load of stress after leaving it late to stamp his ticket to the big dance.
The 30-year-old from Glasgow appeared to be stuck on the inside and with no room to break through, before an athlete in front pulled a hamstring in the final 20 metres, leaving a small gap.
Gourley spied a chance, went through it and ducked for the line – with a photo finish confirming he snuck through.
“To be honest, what was going through my mind was, my mum is going to kill me after watching that,” he said..
“Someone has got to check on her, she will be having a panic attack up there. But it is alright mum I am through. I need to give her a hug after that.”
Kerr, Wightman and Gourley will hope Tokyo’s National Stadium is cheering for him just as they were pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis on Monday.
The Swedish superstar rewrote the record books for the 14th time as he set a new world record on his way to gold.
One day after Usain Bolt was acclaimed by the Japanese crowds, his successor as the face of athletics eased to a third successive world title, to go with his two Olympic gold medals.
And having seen off the rest of the field, the fastest man in pole vaulting became the first man to crack the 6m30 barrier, adding another centimetre to his own world record.
Great Britain need the Scots to deliver after a slow start to these Championships.
The men’s and women’s 100m events brought just an eighth-place finish for Dina Asher-Smith, while there are concerns for 400m hopeful Matt Hudson-Smith ahead of today’s semi-final.
Things got worse on Monday when pole vault gold medal prospect Molly Caudery rolled her ankle while warming up for the qualification round and pulled out.
Caudery was looking to banish the demons of her Olympic debut, where she failed to clear a height in qualifying in Paris, despite coming into the event as one of the favourites.
But she was dealt a bitter blow when a seemingly innocuous stumble left her in considerable pain.
She posted on social media: “Heartbroken… again. Out before I even started, rolled my ankle during warm-up. Waiting for an official diagnosis but a huge thank you for the support as always.”
Meanwhile, men’s marathon hopeful Emile Cairess pulled up with 2.5 miles to go and Lina Nielsen crashed out of the women’s 400m hurdles.
That could all change though, with the middle distance runners leading the charge.
Ahead of Kerr and co, Max Burgin and Ben Pattison will kick off their 800m campaign on Tuesday with Seb Coe's iconic British record, as well as medals, in their sights.
Burgin was the world leader three years ago before deep vein thrombosis derailed his challenge in Eugene.
Injury-free this time around, he was only just beaten by Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi at the Diamond League final in Zurich last month and looks a real contender for the podium.
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