Guliyev was not the name on everyone's lips going into the race but ensured he was the talk of the town as he crossed the line in 20.09sec to become Turkey's first-ever athletics world champion.

Van Niekerk was unable to complete the 200m and 400m double, finishing 0.02 seconds adrift in silver medal position after a photo finish judged him to have edged Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards by one thousandth of a second.

The United States claimed the other two titles on offer here tonight as two-time Olympic champion Christian Taylor triumphed in the triple jump and Kori Carter continued the trend of upsets at these Championships by winning the women's 400m hurdles.

Guliyev was born in Baku but decided to leave Azerbaijan in 2011 in a bid to earn more funding.

The IAAF banned the 27-year-old, however, and he had to wait until 2014 before he could represent his adopted country.

Guliyev appeared to still harbour affection for Azerbaijan - who will surely be ruing the day they let their star name defect - as he draped the nation's flag around him, along with the Turkish equivalent, at the end of a thrilling race.

Guliyev ensured he took full advantage of the absence of Jamaican Usain Bolt and the injured Canadian Andre De Grasse, the Olympic gold and silver medallists at Rio 2016 respectively.

An extra element of spice had been added to the 200m final after Makwala was cleared yesterday to compete in the event by the IAAF following illness which forced him out of the 400m final.

After being forced to run an individual time trial to reach the semi-final in the pouring rain last night, he went on to qualify for the final, setting up a fascinating duel with athletics' new poster boy van Niekerk.

Many of the crowd had hoped 30-year-old Makwala would cap off his tale at the Championships with a fairytale ending.

Back home in Botswana, they had promised a national holiday had he sealed a remarkable victory but it was not to be.

Having got out of the blocks sharply, Makwala came out of the bend with a realistic chance of a medal but faded to finish sixth.

Van Niekerk, the Olympic 400m champion, was bidding become the first sprinter to win both the 200m and 400m at the World Championships since the American Michael Johnson at Gothenburg in 1995.

Van Niekerk, though, showed clear signs of fatigue in his semi-final last night and did not have enough left in the tank but still won the silver medal.

Richards, a World Indoor bronze medallist in 2012, recorded the best result of his career as he was third.

"This is not a shock but this does not feel real," said Guliyev. 

"I am so proud. 

"This title means a lot.

"I have shown my best throughout this competition. 

"I delivered my best race at the right time. 

"I'm so happy to be world champion. 

"This is the best moment of my career.

"I was competing against some of the best athletes in the world, so it didn't bother me that the attention was on them. 

"Maybe at the next competition everyone will look at me instead."

Taylor was not in the world record breaking form he had promised in the build-up to the event but did enough to top the podium in the triple jump.

The American, gold medallist at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships in Daegu and Beijing, was the overwhelming favourite and lived up to his billing with a best leap of 17.68 metres. 

Taylor had talked up his chances of beating the world record of Jonathan Edwards, here commentating for Eurosport to see if a mark of 18.29m he set in 1995 when Taylor was five-years-old would survive. 

But, instead of being in a battle with the Briton's world record, Taylor's attention was focused largely on compatriot Will Claye, the Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016. 

Claye laid down a marker of 17.63m with his third attempt but Taylor went five centimetres further.

That was the way it stayed as neither managed to better their third-round efforts, with the bronze medal going to veteran Portuguese Nelson Evora.

Evora, the Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medallist, leapt 17.19m to clinch the fourth World Championships medal of his career at the age of 33.

Carter sprung a surprise to secure the women's 400m hurdles crown as she held off the fading challenge of Olympic champion and team-mate Dalilah Muhammad and crossed the line in 53.07.

Muhammad had to settle for the silver medal in 53.50 as her wait for a World Championships gold medal continues.

Ristananna Tracey of Jamaica came through to take the bronze medal in a personal best time of 53.74, ahead of defending champion Zuzana Hejnová of the Czech Republic.

It marked yet another unexpected result at this year's Championships.

"When you work so hard and sacrifice so much for something, for it to pay off in the end is so satisfying," said Carter. 

"It's a surreal experience right now. 

"Me and my coach, our whole goal and focus was to get on the podium this year, it's what we've been committed to. 

"To put it together is such a blessing."

The United States stretched their medals table lead after moving to six golds, seven silver and six bronzes after seven days of competition.

Kenya remain second on three gold, one silver and three bronze.

South Africa are the only other country to have earned two or more titles.

They have won two gold, one silver and two bronzes.