In the end the finishing line came just in time for Rhasidat Adeleke. Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser had a bit to spare in front, while Adeleke was starting to labour in second. The Tallaght athlete just about did enough to secure a place in Friday's 400m final.
Job done, but not quite in the way we expected. Afterwards, the Irish record holder did not come out to engage with the press huddle.
She apparently received medical attention after the race, with a spokesperson for Team Ireland saying she was fatigued but dismissed concerns as to her wellbeing. The 21-year-old will line up at the Stade de France at 7pm (Irish time) on Friday.
In doing so, she's the first Irish female athlete to compete in an Olympic sprint final.
Adeleke will no doubt look to give it her all in the pursuit of a medal, but this 400m is stacked with talent, so much so that Nickisha Pryce - the fastest over the distance this year - failed to qualify.
To hone in more on Adeleke's run, she started very well, and soon closed down the stagger on Junelle Bromfield who was in the lane outside of her. It then appeared as if it would be a battle between the Dubliner and Eid Naser, but the latter found an extra gear in the final 100 and won with a bit to spare.
Adeleke started to tie up; her running action wasn't smooth and soon Henriette Jaeger and the Netherlands' Lieke Klaver, who was given a warning after an initial false start to the race, started to loom in her rear mirror. Adeleke was looking around her, apparently making glances at the big screen, and then the line was her friend when it mattered.
After Monday's heat, won in impressive style by Adeleke, RTÉ co-commentator David Matthews highlighted a change in her technique.
"I saw a difference in her top half, much more relaxed from the waist up," he said
"Rhasidat had a tendency to roll when fatigued – now I'm not saying she fatigued or was under any sort of pressure in that race – but in her natural running style, she used to have a slight hunch in the shoulders and a rolling effort and that was exasperated when she tired, which is only natural at the end of a 400m."
It looked like Adeleke was rolling again this evening, in those final 50 metres, this on the back of reports that she was feeling fatigued.
Adeleke also revealed, when speaking to RTÉ after the race, that the false start unsettled her and that the first 200m didn't go the way she planned. Still, she is relishing the opportunity to run in an Olympic final. She was the sixth fastest in qualifying, but her run this evening leaves more questions than answers.
Post-race reaction from Adeleke
In that, can she get the better of world champion Marileidy Paulino, who won her semi-final going down the gears as she approached the line; reverse the European final placings with Natalia Kaczmarek and, in a short space of time, have it in her to outgun 2019 world champ Salwa Eid Naser if it comes to a sprint?
Great Britain's Amber Anning, just edged out on the line by Kaczmarek in her semi, is also a danger.
Adeleke's personal best over the distance is 49.07; a repeat of that should see her win a medal. But can she find that level again?
If she's on song, she'll go close. As she outlined to RTÉ Sport immediately after this evening's race, a final can take on a different form.
"I've been in that place where the rounds might not have gone how I wanted to, but the final went great, so I’m not too worried about it," she said.
Hopefully her positivity will result in an improved run on what will be the biggest night of her career so far.
Yes, job done this evening, but a whole different task awaits in an Olympic final. And a true test of Adeleke's standing on the world stage is also now there for closer inspection.
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