Jessica Hull has set up the prospect of a rare double medal-winning weekend after she accidentally pushed over the race favourite en route to winning bronze in a dramatic, rough-and-tumble 3000 metres at the world indoor championships in Poland.
On another successful day for the Australian challenge in Torun, pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall then cleared six metres in a championship for the first time as he earned his third global bronze behind his untouchable pal, Armand Duplantis, who made it four titles in a row.
With Nicola Olyslagers winning high jump silver on the opening day, the 11-strong team will hope Hull can finish it with a flourish on Sunday as she guns for a second medal over her Olympic silver-winning distance of 1500m.
"I am just proud to add another medal to my collection. If there's a race for medals anywhere in the world, I will be there!" beamed Wollongong's Hull, who smiled she would "go get some sleep and go through the whole routine again" in her best event.
Inadvertently, she helped her own cause midway through a messy 15-lap race by pushing over Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu while trying to keep her own balance after being shoved from behind herself.
With the field having been cramped by the funereal early pace, Spaniard Marta Garcia was later disqualified for her clumsy push on Hull, while defending champ Hailu worked wonders to get back up groggily and finish sixth.
Having been slightly hampered herself, Hull decided to attack from two laps out, leading at the bell but eventually being pipped by fast-finishing Italian Nadia Battocletti who struck gold in 8min 57.64sec and American Emily Mackay, who edged the Aussie, 8:58.12 to 8:58.18.
"I made my move with 400 to go and I wasn't sure if it would be enough," said Hull.
"I am still learning these things - outdoors and indoors are two different sports for me, and you have to more tactically aware indoors."
Adelaide's Marschall cleared 6.00m for the first time only last month in Clement-Ferrand, becoming the fourth Aussie to join that elusive club, and repeated the feat in championship conditions, while giving the bar a hefty brush.
But nothing could stop his occasional training partner Duplantis from continuing his amazing domination as not even a 6.05m effort from Greek silver medalist Emmanouil Karalis could get near his championship record 6.25m.
The only disappointment for the crowd was that the Swede didn't then try to improve on the 6.31m world record -- his 15th -- that he'd set in Uppsala nine days earlier.
Peter Bol and Hayley Kitching also have their eyes on a first world championship medal on Sunday, having earned impressive 800m semi-final wins.
Bol, battling back to the top of the sport at 32 after being cleared over the doping controversy that derailed him at the height of his career three years ago, won his semi in 1 minute 46.21 seconds.
"The goal is always to win the gold, so I am looking forward to the final," he said.
In the women's 800m, Kitching, the Penn State University runner from Coffs Harbour, made her first global final by winning her semi in 2:00.06. "I cannot believe I did it at my first world indoors," smiled the 21-year-old.
Among the international highlights were Swiss Simon Ehammer's world record of 6670 points as he struck heptathlon gold, Ivory Coast-born Italian Zaynab Dosso winning the women's 60m final in seven seconds dead and Poland's Jakub Szymanski rousing the local fans with his 60m hurdles win in 7.40sec.
