Slovenia's Luka Janezic came storming down the home straight to become the European U23 400m champion in Bydgoszcz just as it looked like Karsten Warholm's amazing summer would be rubber-stamped with gold.
Warholm, 21, was the favourite in a season where has broken national records and set European-leading marks at 400m and the 400m hurdles and he took to the blocks just two hours after winning his semifinal in the latter of those events.
In the home straight Warholm was still in front but he was running out of steam and Janezic seized his moment to pass him for a gold in 45.33 from Warholm in 45.75 and Denmark's European U20 champion Benjamin Lobo Vedel in 46.08.
'I am very happy,' said Janezic. 'My coach said that in this competition here I must take gold.'
Warholm will be back – going for 400m hurdles gold tomorrow afternoon – and he said: 'The race was very good and of course I am tired after all the races. I am satisfied. I had strong rivals. Tomorrow my goal is to finish another great race and see where it takes me.'
Moller turns back clock with steeplechase gold
Anna Emilie Moller justified her favourite tag to win the 3000m steeplechase and bring Denmark its first gold medal at these championships for 20 years.
Not since Rikke Ronholt's 400m hurdles success in Turku in 1997 - a fortnight before Moller was born - has the Danish national anthem played out at this championships but it did today.
Two years ago in Eskilstuna, Moller left the European Athletics U20 Championships with 5000m silver and 3000m bronze but now she has a title after her victory in 9:43.05.
From three laps out, Moller led from Ukraine's Nataliya Strebkova and France's Emma Oudiou and on a warm afternoon in Bydgoszcz, that is the way it stayed. Strebkova had the added bonus of setting a national U23 record as she finished in 9:44.52 with Oudiou third in a season's best of 9:50.30.
Visser holds off Herman for 100m hurdles gold
They were not drawn side by side but that is the way the women's 100m hurdles final developed between the two favourites with the Netherlands' Nadine Visser just having enough to beat Belarusian youngster Elvira Herman.
Herman, 20, had won the world U20 title on this track last year along with the European U20 crown in Eskilstuna in 2015 but two years her senior, Visser was quickest on times before the race and quicker in it too.
Running from lane seven, Visser was ahead after two barriers but as she was establishing a lead, Herman came charging back. However, Visser held on to win in 12.92 from Herman in 12.95 with Hungary's Luca Kozak in 13.06.
'It was going well until the eighth hurdle and then it became kind of messy,' said Visser, who is primarily a heptathlete. 'But I am happy to finish first.'
Payen keeps the French flag flying
Ludovic Payen showed the French sprint hurdles production is alive and kicking with a sensational win in the 110m hurdles in a personal best time and a celebration that went on well beyond the finish line.
Payen, who started with a best time of 13.60, was slick over the hurdles as he won in 13.49 from lane five to beat Britain's Khai Riley-Laborde in 13.65 and teammate Dylan Caty in 13.66.
In Amsterdam last year, Dimitri Bascou won the European title for France and now 22, Payen will head into the senior ranks with a big future ahead of him. Caty is only 20 and could return to chase this gold in two years’ time.
Roos leads all the way for shot gold
Sweden's Fanny Roos beat a field of champions to win the shot put gold medal – having led from the opening throw.
Roos was drawn first and her 17.71m would have been enough for victory but she improved on that, with 17.79m and then 17.83m in the second and third round respectively but once her triumph was confirmed, the 22-year-old ended in style with a superb 18.14m.
Having finished fourth two years ago, Roos was the star of the show in a field including world U20 champion Alina Kenzel from Germany and two-time European U20 champion Emel Dereli from Türkiye.
German Kenzel looked set for silver with 17.46m but with her final effort, there was home delight for Poland's Klaudia Kardasz who leapfrogged her with 17.67m to spark wild scenes of celebration.
Türkiye's Dereli was fourth with 17.45m and Germany's newly crowned U23 discus champion Claudina Vita, seeking her second gold in less than 24 hours, was fifth with 17.33m.
Latiseva-Cudare makes breakthrough with 400m gold
Latvia's Gunta Latiseva-Cudare is a winner of nine national titles and now she has the biggest title of her career – European U23 400m champion.
Latiseva-Cudare, 22, showed great strength to break down her rivals in the home straight and triumph in 52.00 from Germany's Laura Muller in 52.42 and the Netherlands' Laura De Witte in 52.51.
And Germany's Marius Probst showed how an athlete can develop quickly over time as he went from 11th at the last championships to win 1500m gold this time with a perfectly-timed finish.
Probst, 21, moved from sixth to third in the last 250 metres and then third to first in the last 15 metres to claim gold in a typically tactical race in 3:49.06 ahead of Czech Republic’s Filip Sasinek (3:49.23) and Poland’s Michal Rozmys (3:49.30).