Emil Friedrich was untouchable as he sped to the England Athletics U15 indoor 300m crown.
He not only comfortably dispatched the field, but the time of 36.68s was the fourth fastest ever for his age in the event.
That the performance came on the back of some illness the week before hints at more to come.
“After months and months of work, training through wind and rain, sleepless nights and throwing up on football pitches, I am finally National Champion, and the fourth quickest over the distance here in the UK ever,” he said on his Instagram page.
“It’s an amazing feeling, to be able to say that, and if you’d asked me two years ago where I see myself being now, this wouldn’t have been my answer.”
Emil eased through the heat in Sheffield in 37.85s to make the final where he was drawn in lane five.
He had run down Tommaso Crosara who claimed second before the stagger unwound on the second bend and had clear air from that point to stretch away and win by over one second.
“The races themselves were both great, and I executed both almost exactly as I had planned to; the nerves before them were intense, to say the least. But with good reason I’d say – I went into the race knowing there was a chance to stand on the top of that podium, and it was up to me to make it a reality.
“There were a lot of bumps in the road to get here, and I don’t doubt that that’ll stop. There’ll always be something, or someone getting in your way, and I think the journey leading up to this has taught me that, just as it has many other things.”
He praised the coaching and mentoring from Dale Garland, someone well used to performing on the international stage.
“This is a big step forward in terms of my pathway to professional athletics. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”