Jake Wightman said his world 1500m silver medal felt like gold after making his return to a global podium, but British team-mate Josh Kerr’s title defence was ruined by a calf injury in a dramatic final in Tokyo.

Wightman, the 2022 world champion, achieved redemption having struggled with injuries and missed the past two major championships.

The 31-year-old collapsed with exhaustion after crossing the line before staring up at the big screen, which revealed Portugal’s Isaac Nader had pipped him to gold by two hundredths of a second in a thrilling finish.

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Although he came up agonisingly short, it is a second place which he said felt as good as first after the challenges of recent years – and Britain’s long-awaited first medal of the championships.