The 25-year-old Olympic champion produced his almighty effort in the final round to see off his great rival Pedro Pablo, landing just eight centimetres shy of the 20-year-old world record held by Britain’s Jonathan Edwards. And Taylor’s foot was a good few centimetres back on the take-off board….

Pichardo took silver ahead of the man who won the Olympic title here seven years ago, Nelson Evora of Portugal, who claimed bronze with a last round 17.52.

“It was a great fight,” said Taylor, who had a best effort of 17.68 to Pichardo’s 17.60 going into the last round, where Pichardo managed 17.73 with the last jump of the competition.

“I saved it until my last jump. When you are that close to a record, it makes you even hungrier. So I am looking forward to Rio with the other competitors.”

Pichardo commented: “I thought I was going to get it together but I just was not fast enough. I cannot be happy for the silver today.”

Bolt’s season has been so undermined and delayed by a lingering joint problem that he had not even run a single 200m in competition before coming to Beijing.

Here, against an opponent who headed the world lists with 19.57, he was – incredibly – close to his imperious best. 

As he crossed the line he pointed at his chest with both hands and nodded his head, just in case anyone should doubt that he, rather than the shorter figure in red who strained two lanes inside him, was The Man.

Gatlin looked almost relieved after taking silver in 19.74, with Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa claiming bronze with a national record of 19.87.

The men’s 200m final rounded off an extraordinary evening of high achievement which had earlier seen Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk regain the world hammer throw title she last won in 2009 with the second and third best throws of all time – 80.27 and 80.85 – behind the world record of 81.08 she set on August 1.

Behind her, China’s Wenxiu Zhang claimed silver with a season’s best of 76.33 and Zheng Wang was fifth with 73.83.

And in the track final preceding the men’s 200m, Allyson Felix, three times a world 200m champion, earned her first global title at 400m in the fastest time run this year, 49.26.

The three women behind her set personal bests – Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, silver medallist in 49.67, Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, who earned bronze in 49.99, and fellow Jamaican Christine Day, fourth in 50.14.

Britain’s defending champion Christine Ohuruogu finished an exhausted last in 50.63, lying next to the stricken Felix and two other prone runners. It was like a scene from the end of a decathlon.

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