Hoare won in 3min 30.12sec - finally eclipsing the Games and then world record of 3:32.16 set at Christchurch in 1974 by Tanzania's Filbert Bayi, to the huge acclaim of another packed stadium in this morning session on the penultimate day of the athletics programme.

It looked as if gold was destined for Kenya's 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot as he came by Wightman in the final 50m - but there would be one more crucial overtaking manoeuvre 10m from the line.

Cheruiyot took silver in 3:30.21, with Wightman hanging in for bronze in 3:30.53.

Hoare had given notice of his potential by finishing just behind Ingebrigtsen in Oslo Dream Mile in June, clocking an Area record of 3:47.48.

It was a stupendous coup de theatre from the 25-year-old Sydney resident as his winning narrative succeeded the potential tales of Wightman and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruyiot in the final 70m.

Wightman, who also took 1500m bronze in the 2018 Gold Coast Games, had been anything but complacent in the run-up to an event which he only switched to late after being leant on by family and friends who had bought tickets for today - his original thought was to represent Scotland in the 800m.

"I'm going to give it a go, but I could easily not medal," he told Birmingham 2022, pointing out that his fellow Scottish runner Josh Kerr, the Olympic bronze medallist, would be "sick at not medalling" in Oregon, and that Australia’s Ollie Hoare went out in the semi-finals in Eugene "and he's going to want to do something here."

He wasn’t wrong.

The pace from the gun was seriously fast - the top six all broke Bayi's Games record and there were seven personal bests.

“It was a very fast race but I have been training for a fast race," said Hoare. 

"It was just about kicking at the right time.

"I went through on the inside with a lap to go and I saw Jake next to me. 

"And I started to panic because he is the world champion. 

"But I tried to hold my composure.”

Wightman reflected: "I've had two of the hardest weeks I've ever had, but that was honestly one of the hardest championship races I've ever had.

“I really wanted to win it. 

"I’m not quite as mentally and physically fresh as I thought I probably would have been coming into this off the back of a tiring worlds.

"But to come away with something, I am very pleased about that. 

"And it’s nice to win something for Scotland because I want this period to be remembered as a time we got medals."

Reflecting on his achievement in winning men’s 1500m silver, Kenya’s 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot said he thought he had been about to win gold:

"I was expecting to win. 

"But around 10m before the finish line I stumbled on my foot and almost fell. 

"But I'm happy I got a silver.

"You are not focused when you stumble a little bit. 

"Even (a piece of) my shoe have almost fallen off (after the stumble). 

"I got down, then I lost the balance a little bit.

"I was seeing someone [Hoare] coming with a lot of force."

Earlier, the men's 3000m steeplechase final had produced another gripping finish.

Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya won gold in a Games record of 8min 11.15sec, but had to strain every sinew to hold off the unexpectedly strong challenge of India's Avinash Mukund Sable, who stuck with the Kenyans in what they consider to be their event by right and finished just 0.05sec behind in a national record of 8:11.20.

Amos Serem of Kenya was third, while an ailing defending champion Consenslus Kipruto, still seeking peak fitness, finishing sixth.

Lamara Distin of Jamaica cleared 1.95m in the women’s high jump to earn a surprise win in the women’s high jump final over Australia's world champion Eleanor Patterson, who had a best of 1.92m, with a second Jamaican, Kimberly Williams, winning bronze.

While Patterson missed out on an expected gold, Australia topped the podium ahead of Hoare’s final flourish of the session as Jemima Montag won the 10,000m race walk in a Games record of 42min 34.30sec, with Priyanka of India taking silver in a personal best of 43:38.83, and bronze going to Kenya’s Emily Ngii, who clocked an Area record of 43:50.86.

A fourth-round effort of 76.43m elevated England’s Nick Miller to the gold medal position in the men’s hammer, giving him a lead of almost three metres on the rest of the field - and it proved enough to keep him there. Just about.

Silver went to Canada’s Ethan Katzberg, who managed a huge personal best of 76.36 that was not quite enough to catch Miller.

Alexandros Poursanidis of Cyprus earned bronze with a final effort of 73.97m.

Australia came to grief on the final changeover in the first of the men’s 4x100m relay heats, leaving England to come through as winners in 38.48sec, with anchor leg runner Ojie Edoburun doing a good job as cheer leader as he conducted the crowd to further heights of sound with baton in hand.

Trinidad and Tobago qualify second in 38.84, with Guyana taking the third automatic qualifying place for tomorrow night’s final in 39.82.

Nigeria's Eucharia Njideka Iyiazi takes gold in the women's F55-57 shot put with a Games record F57 mark of 10.03m.

Two other F57 category athletes fill the podium as Arlette Fokoa of Cameroon achieves a personal best of 9.38m and Iyiazi's compatriot Ugochi Alam takes bronze on 9.30m.