Gabriela Szabo of Romania sprinted away from a determined Sonia O'Sullivan of Ireland to win the 5000-meter gold medal in an Olympic record time of 14:40.79.
The diminutive Szabo perhaps had momentary flashbacks of the Berlin debacle three weeks earlier in which Leah Malot of Kenya outkicked her in the closing meters of another 5000-metre race.
Malot wasn't around tonight for a repeat performance, but O'Sullivan was posing a potentially more lethal threat as she clung tenaciously to Szabo as the pair entered the final straight.
For a brief moment, with about eighty metres remaining, it appeared that O'Sullivan might pull the upset. But Szabo still had one gear left in her arsenal, and she played that trump card strategically and successfully in the closing moments.
The victory marked the end of a four-year wait for Szabo and her husband-coach Zsolt Gyongyossy after her disappointing elimination in the Atlanta 5K heats. Now the unfinished business was finally complete.
For O'Sullivan, the silver-medal performance of 14:41.02, an Irish national record, capped off a lengthy comeback season after a maternity year.
Geta Wami of Ethiopia won the race for the bronze medal in 14:42.23, as she held off countrywoman Ayelech Worku who clocked 14:42.67.
The field of runners stayed compressed into a twelve-meter space as the race passed the 3K mark in 8:58.33. Geta Wami had a one-step lead over Szabo at this point, with a phalanx of Kenyans and Ethiopians--plus O'Sullivan and Irina Mikitenko of Germany--following close behind.
As the group moved into the backstretch for the penultimate time with 700 meters left, Szabo moved farther in front, with Wami and Worku following closely.
With 300 meters left, O'Sullivan slowly crept up to an attack position, as Szabo was running at full speed.
But tonight was not the one for an upset as Gabriela held center stage for the first time in an Olympic arena.