Josh Kerr narrowly missed out on Olympic gold in the 1500m final despite finishing ahead of bitter rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The Edinburgh-born runner won silver after being pipped by USA’s Cole Hocker in a new Olympic record.
The much-hyped showdown was billed as a two-horse race with Ingebrigtsen, but Hocker’s sprint in the final straight gave him a shock gold and a time of 3:27.65.
Olympics 2024 LIVE! News, updates from Paris
Norwegian Ingebrigtsen finished out of the medals in fourth after setting a blistering pace and leading for most of the race.
American Yared Nuguse took bronze but was only a hundredth of a second behind Kerr.
There had been much talk beforehand about Kerr and Ingebrigtsen’s apparent dislike for each other after trading barbs over the past year or so.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix in tears after missing out on medal as British diver admits mental health battle
Whale interrupts Olympic surfing in spectacular fashion in Tahiti
Keely Hodgkinson says she’s kicked off ‘golden moment’ in athletics for Team GB at Paris Olympics
Kerr’s time of 3:27.79 is a British record and the 26-year-old appeared delighted with his silver, grabbing a union flag and hugging supporters on a lap of honour.
Speaking trackside, he admitted he was desperate for gold but said he was “really proud” and that it was a “heck of a step in the right direction”.
Kerr, who beat Ingebrigtsen to gold in the world championships last year, won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Other medals for Team GB on Tuesday were a silver for the men’s team sprint in the velodrome and a bronze for 16-year-old Sky Brown in the skateboarding.
Boxer Lewis Richardson, from Colchester, already has a bronze but hopes to secure at least a silver in the middleweight semi-final tonight.
Meanwhile, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita missed out on the medals in the 200m final in the last event on track on Tuesday.
Asher-Smith – who was distraught after not making the 100m final – put in a strong performance but finished fourth in 22.22, with Neita in fifth.
America’s Gabby Thomas took gold, with 100m champion Julien Alfred in silver and Brittany Brown third.
Asher-Smith was far more upbeat after the race, telling reporters she was “really proud to have held my own” in such a a strong field.
Elsewhere, there was heartbreak for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix earlier in the day, with the young British diver in tears after only managing sixth in the 10m platform final.
The 19-year-old already claimed a bronze in the synchronised event earlier in the games.