It was predicted, it was previewed - even by us here at European Athletics 24 hours earlier - but it still had to be achieved. And now it has.
Bohdan Bondarenko has the honour of being the joint best high jumper in European history after an afternoon of brilliance at the IAAF Diamond League in New York on Saturday.
Ukrainian Bondarenko cleared 2.42m at the Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island to match the height that Sweden’s Patrik Sjoberg had achieved nearly 27 years ago.
In that time, others have tried - such as Russia’s Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov, who has personal best of 2.41m, and two men who have gone over 2.40m: Sorin Matei, of Romania, and another Russian, Vyachelsav Voronin.
But now Bondarenko, the 2013 male European Athlete of the Year, is there alongside Sjoberg, with Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s World record of 2.45m within his reach.
“Amazing day,” said Bondarenko, 24, after he won on countback in arguably the finest of all high jump competitions.
Second was his great rival, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim, and it was the first time that two men have cleared 2.42m in the same event.
Bondarenko is some character. He stands out for his soaring ability, let alone his mixture of a blue spike on his right foot and a yellow one on his left, and the noise from the New York crowd just grew as Barshim and him traded heights in a magnificent duel.
Both attempted bids at the world record but failed at 2.46m yet not since 1994, and Sotomayor’s 2.42m in Seville, has that height itself been cleared.
Bondarenko, who had a previous personal best of 2.41m, was naturally delighted and told Reuters: “This is a good competition, fantastic...this is my best competition.”
And how does Barshim see the pair of them? “We are Supermen,” he said.
It has been an extraordinary few years for Bondarenko, who first caught the eye in Beijing in 2006 when he won bronze at the World Junior Championships.
Two years later he progressed to become the World junior champion, in 2011 he won the European Under-23 title in Ostrava and then last summer, he was crowned World champion in Moscow with 2.41m, beating Barshim on 2.38m.
He has been close to this European mark on some many occasions and his afternoon in New York began with a first-time clearance at 2.25m before going over at 2.35m and then moving to 2.40m.
The bar went down with his opening effort before he cleared it second time but Barshim was setting the standard because he was jumping first.
Each man was driving the other on and when the Qatarian went over at 2.42m, for an Area record himself, the pressure once more grew on Bondarenko but he delivered in style.
His run-up had such speed, with his foot work not missing a stride, and he cleared the bar at 2.42m with a bit to spare.
Not enough to spare to break the World record as he failed on three goes at 2.46m but that can be for another time.
One piece of history is enough for now.
Sjoberg’s performance in Stockholm on June 30 1987 gained him legendary status within athletics, his European record arriving just weeks before he became World champion in Rome.
Bondarenko has the same two honours - but the other way around - after his glory in Moscow.
And what's next? An even more thrilling prospect because most athletes will aim to peak at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich in August and if that is the case with Bondarenko, that World record could be on its way to the Ukraine.