Eillidh Child progressed safely into the semi-finals of the world championship’s 400m hurdles on a dramatic day in which defending champion Dai Greene almost crashed out.
Navigating the tricky first lane in a sparsely-attended morning session at the Luzhniki Stadium, Child looked fluent and untroubled, just chopping her stride slightly on the home straight, before finishing second in 55.17secs behind the American Dalilah Muhammad in 54.90.
The 26-year-old Kinross-shire Olympian was just glad to get it over with.
“It was a bit messy, but all right,” she said.
“Number nine wasn’t very good. I backed off it a little bit and lost momentum. But it wasn’t disastrous. It was really OK.
“I’m just glad to get the first round out of the way and get through safely to the next race. I hate first rounds. There are always nerves. You know it should be the easy part, but it never is. You just don’t want to muck anything up. So I’m happy just to get though.”
Child knows she will probably need to up her game by at least a second in tonight’s semi-final.
“I’ve got to run it like my final,” she said.
“I’m going to have to give it everything I’ve got and run close to my personal best, if not faster. In the past that’s been enough to get into the final, so hopefully I’ll be in with a chance.
“You just don’t know what’s going to happen. But if I get my race right, and run as fast as I have been running, then I’ll be in with a shout.
“This is the fittest I’ve been going into a championship, so I’m just focusing on tomorrow night as I really want to get into that final.
“But it’s great that all three British girls qualified. That was excellent. I’m really glad we all made it through. Hopefully we can all get into final!”
The Pitreavie AC star, who won 400m silver and 4x400m gold at the European indoor championships in March was joined by Perri Shakes-Drayton and Meghan Beesley join in the semis.
The target is the imperious Czech superstar Zuzana Hejnova, who has won all her races this year.
Medal-hope Shakes-Drayton won her heat in 54.42, with Staffordshire’s Beesley second in her heat in 55.45, despite clattering a hurdle.
There was almost a disaster for Britain in the equivalent men’s event, however.
Defending world champion Dai Greene looked as if he was running through porridge in his lap over the barriers and was clearly relieved to make it into tonight’s semi-final.
His 49.79secs fifth place would have got him in as a fastest loser, but he was promoted to one of the four automatic qualifying places after a disqualification.
Swansea Harrier Greene, who has been recovering after hernia surgery, said he was fortunate just to make the start line after a bout of illness.
“The last few days have been a nightmare,” he said.
“I came down with a fever on Friday night, but these things happen. As long as I’m through, that’s the main thing.”
Greene, who became Commonwealth, European and world champion between 2010 and 2011, but could not add the Olympic title to the list after finishing fourth in London, added: “I always believed I’d be able to come to the start line here, but whether or not I could run a decent time was the thing.
“Fingers crossed, I can step up and put in a better performance. I’ve been in the situation before where you do one race and next day feel better because of it.”