The biggest crowd yet to assemble at the Luzhniki Stadium for the world athletics championships expected.
And Yelena Isinbayeva, the queen of Russian athletics, delivered.
As she has done so often when a major pole vault title is on the line.
But this third world crown - and first since 2007 - to go with Olympic glory in 2004 and 2008, might just have been the sweetest of the lot.
After claiming victory with a first-time clearance at 4.89m, the 31-year-old charged into the crowd to celebrate with her delirious home fans.
Isinbayeva then returned to the arena, composed herself, and had three attempts at breaking her own world record at 5.07m.
That she was unsuccessful at setting a new world mark didn't matter much.
A championships that has struggled to get traction among the general public in the opening four days in Moscow had its signature moment.
American Jenn Suhr, the reigning Olympic champion, claimed silver on countback ahead of Cuba's Yarisley Silva, after both cleared 5.82m.
American LaShawn Merritt raced away to a dominant victory in the men's 400m final in 43.74 seconds -the fastest time in the world this year.
Merritt - who returned to the sport in early 2011 after serving a 21-month ban for testing positive to a steroid he claimed was in a penis enlargement product - added a second world title to the one-lap Olympic crown he won in Beijing.
Fellow American Tony McQuay was second in 44.40, Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic was third in 44.52 and defending champion Kirani James from Grenada blew up in the final straight and faded all the way to seventh.
Mohammed Aman become the first Ethiopian to win an 800m world title, outlasting American Nick Symmonds in the final straight.
Aman clocked a winning time of 1:43.41.
German powerhouse Robert Harting won a third straight world discus title with a best throw of 69.16m.
Silver medallist Piotr Malachowski of Poland (68.36m) was the only man who got anywhere near Harting, with Estonia's Gerd Kantner claiming the bronze with 65.19m.
Australian Julian Wruck could manage no better than 62.40m - nearly six metres shy of his personal best - and finished in 11th place.
Ukraine's Ganna Melnichenko prevented a historic Eaton family double in the multi-discipline events by winning the heptathlon with 6586 points from Canada's Brianne Theisen-Eaton (6530) and Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers (6477).
A month ago, Theisen-Eaton married US star Ashton Eaton, who claimed the decathlon title two days in Moscow.
He was back at trackside on Tuesday to cheer on his wife.
Milcah Cheywa of Kenya won the women's 3000m steeplechase.
