While Johnson-Thompson insisted she was not looking for redemption on her return to the Japanese capital, where her Games were cruelly ended by a torn calf during the 200m, the significance of her achievements since remains inextricably linked to the journey it has taken to get there.
At her lowest moment, Johnson-Thompson feared her career was over. Little more than three years have passed since nights like this could not have felt further away.
She has completed a remarkable turnaround since, regaining her world title in Budapest in 2023 before ending her long wait for a first Olympic medal at Paris 2024.
Armed here with the freedom with which that journey back to the top has gifted her, she was able to once again celebrate medal success at her seventh World Championships – although not in a scenario she could have ever envisaged.
No stranger to close finishes, Johnson-Thompson was just 36 points away from gold at last summer’s Olympics – equating to roughly a two-second difference in the 800m.
Following a relative underperformance in the javelin, where her best of 41.91m ranked 16th overall, she was aware her fortunes would once again come down to the finest margins in the two-lap finale.
With O’Connor’s superb javelin personal best of 53.06m ensuring the silver was hers to lose behind runaway leader Hall, Brooks became Johnson-Thompson’s priority.
Johnson-Thompson has an 800m personal best which is 8.5 seconds quicker than Brooks’, whom she needed to beat by about six seconds to get bronze.
Although she succeeded in distancing her in the closing stages, clocking two minutes 07.38 seconds, Brooks held on to cross the line 5.39 seconds later.
While Hall and O’Connor could begin their celebrations, Brooks and Johnson-Thompson were initially left shrugging their shoulders – before both were awarded the prize they sought.