Darya Klishina was accused of being a traitor to her nation when she was the only Russian athlete allowed to compete at the Rio Olympics. A year later she became her country’s darling again as she ended a compelling long jump competition with a silver medal. The Russian’s leap of 7.00m was a season’s best but it was agonisingly short of the American Brittney Reese’s 7.02m that brought her a fourth world championship gold medal.

“I’m really glad and I’m really happy,” said the 26-year-old Klishina, who is one of 19 Russians competing as neutral athletes in London. “This is my first medal from a world championships and, for me, it’s my most important result. I didn’t jump seven metres for six years and I just missed those longer jumps.”

She was not allowed to wear Russian clothing or celebrate with her country’s flag, due to IAAF regulations, but her smile at the end of the competition showed her delight. “I wanted to show this result in an Olympic Games but I did not have a chance with the whole situation around me,” she added. “Now it was the right time, at a world championships, to jump this. I had no nerves – for the first time in my life. It was good for me and I could be focused on just my result.”

The top four athletes were separated by only six centimetres, with the American Tianna Bartoletta taking bronze in 6.97m, one centimetre ahead of Ivana Spanovic. Britain’s Lorraine Ugen, who had been talked up as a medal chance, was frustrated after fouling four of her first five attempts and ending up in fifth place with 6.72m, the same placing she earned in 2015. “I wanted to come out here and get a medal,” she said. “Throwing away so many jumps by fouling and not getting everything together is disappointing. My runway just wasn’t quite clicking.”

There was more disappointment for Britain in the men’s hammer where Nick Miller could finish only sixth in the final behind the Polish gold medallist, Pawel Fajdek, despite a throw of 77.31m which was close to his personal best.

Better news for the home nation came when Lynsey Sharp successfully appealed against what looked a harsh disqualification in the women’s 800m semi-finals when she was accused of pulling back the American Charlene Lipsey. She qualified for Sunday’s final as a fastest loser. But there was frustration for Adele Tracey and Shelane Oskan-Clarke, who both missed out after finished sixth in their respective heats.

In the semi-finals of the men’s 1500m Chris O’Hare looked to have plenty in the tank in making it through to Sunday’s final after finishing fourth. “It’s the most deeply rooted confidence I’ve ever had,” he said. “I talked with my psychologist at the start of the year to develop what we call Matthew Centrowitz confidence – confidence beyond belief. Previously it’s been superficial.”

There was chaos in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase when the Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech forgot to take the water jump early in the race and had to run back. The mistake cost her any chance of a podium place and the race was won by the Olympic bronze medallist, Emma Coburn, a 33-1 underdog, who powered away to become the first US woman to win a global steeplechase championship.