On the face of it, it seemed like another shock victory for Italy. But on reflection, the Azzurri’s triumph in the men’s 4x100m was a fitting end to the nation’s athletics campaign at the Tokyo Olympic Games. By that point, Italy had already secured four athletics gold medals, courtesy of Marcell Jacobs in the 100m, Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump, and Massimo Stano and Antonella Palmisano in the men’s and women’s 20km race walks.

So by the time Italian 4x100m anchor leg runner Filippo Tortu crossed the finish line in first place, there was more a sense of déjà vu than one of complete surprise. “I couldn’t believe it had really happened,” said Tortu, the fourth and final athlete in the Italian running order after Lorenzo Patta, Jacobs and Eseosa Desalu. “After crossing the finish line, I asked my teammate Lorenzo if we had really won the gold medal. It was crazy.