Tebogo dedicated the Olympic gold to his mother Seratiwa, who died in May this year after a short illness, and after his victory he held up his spikes with her date of birth to the camera.

“Basically, it’s me who carries her with every step I take on the field,” Tebogo said.

“Taking her along is a huge motivation for me. She’s watching up there and she’s really, really happy.”

After ending Lyles’ 26-race winning streak over the distance in the semifinals, Tebogo made his mark on the world stage by repeating that victory over the man long considered Bolt’s designated successor.

Tebogo entered the finish line with a lead and, when his rivals threatened to overtake him, he pulled away in the closing stages to secure an emotional – and hugely meaningful – triumph.

Lyles, who before this race was the fastest man over 200m this year and three-time reigning world champion over that distance, offered his usual theatrics before things got serious.

But this performance in his favorite discipline did not match his usual world-class level and the reason for this quickly became clear when the news of the American’s illness became known.

Bolt, the fastest man of all time and winner of eight Olympic gold medals, achieved the sprint double at three consecutive Games in Beijing, London and Rio – and he remains the only person to ever have such a dominant streak.

Lyles had been targeting a remarkable four gold medals in Paris, including in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, but it remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to compete in those finals.