Svetlana Feofanova celebrates winning the women's pole vault (© Getty Images)
Six years ago across the French capital, an athlete by the name of Stacy Dragila made history when she won the World Indoor title on the first occasion the pole vault was part of a major championship meeting.
At 8.08pm tonight, a few miles from that Omnisport Arena here in Paris, a new order arrived in the event when Dragila, the former rodeo rider from America, relinquished her title as the only pole vault gold medallist in the history of the outdoor World championships.
Typical of Dragila, she left the stadium with a smile, a wave and some glorious words of praise for Russian Svetlana Feofanova, the woman, who took her crown in another tremendous competition and advert for the event.
At the end, as Dragla finished fourth with a best clearance of 4.55, 20 centimetres behind Feofanova's winning score of 4.75 that equalled the Championship record, she dashed up to the champion, put her arm around her and the pair shared a cuddle.
"I told Svetlana to savour this moment," said Dragila. "She is such a deserved champion, she was awesome, she performed so well and I am so happy for her."
Defeat with the decency that has become part of the make up of one of the stars of an event that the sceptics' thought would never match the men's equivalent.
When she was asked whether she thought it was probably fitting that Feofanova has replaced her as champion, Dragila, 32, said: "Absolutely. We have had some great competitions."
Dragila has competed toe-to-toe with Feofanova, indoors and out, over the past two years, beating her to gold at the last World Championships in Edmonton when she established that Championship best of 4.75 and not allowing her to replace her as world record holder after she took the bar to 4.81 in Palo Alto over two years ago.
Ironically, that honour went to Feofanova's Russian teammate Yelena Isinbayeva at Gateshead, England, last month when she vaulted 4.82.
But at the Stade de France, this was Feofanova's occasion, overcoming illness to secure the title with the steely determination that shows in her face on every vault. And it arrived with the surprise failure of Isinbayeva to progress past 4.65m.
While she never lacked any pace on her run up, Isinbayeva's execution was missing; to such an extent that on her final attempt at 4.75m, she never even reached the bar, winning bronze as Germany's Annika Becker produced a season's best performance to take silver with 4.70.
Feofanova, 23, is European champion and record holder, titles she won last year when she set five indoor world records, a thread of form she maintained this winter when she improved it three more times to 4.80.
It was a competition that brought disappointment for the home crowd when Marie Poissonnier was the first athlete to be eliminated.
Dragila eased her way 4.50 with first-time clearances, Feofanova not entering the competition until 4.35.
After Dragila had made it over 4.55 on her last attempt, that was going to be that. She made it no further as Feofanova moved to 4.75 on her first go.
But no attempt at the world record? "I have not been well," she said. "I have had a temperature of 38 degrees and if the competition had been at the end of the week, I might have gone for the record."
There will be another day, as there will be for Dragila, who said: "I am determined to be back. No way is this the end for me."
How about in Athens in 12 months time? The Olympics should prepare itself for another pole vault night to remember.
