Sam Tanner had a simple summation of his result in the men's 1500m final: "I think I'm the happiest sixth-place getter ever."
Fair enough, too. Tanner ran the race of his young life in the Alexander Stadium sunshine today, cutting more than three seconds off his personal best while mixingit with middle-distance running's elite.
The 21-year-old could barely stop smiling after moving from the back of the field to stop the clock at 3:31.34, finishing 1.22s off the Games-record mark set by surprise Australian winner Ollie Hoare.
Tanner literally jumped for joy after seeing his time flash on the big screen, knowing he had gone quick but overwhelmed by just how quick.
"Monster PB. I'm frothing," he said. "Look at me - this is the Comm Games. This is insane. I'm stoked.
"I crossed the line and was like, 'I don't think I was that far off the leader, and they ran 3:30'. I was like, 'I must've run so fast.'
"Then I looked up and was like, 'Daaamn'."
That must have been the feeling for many watching Kiwis. New Zealand has a fine history over this distance and, with Nick Willis close to the finish line in his glittering career, Tanner boasts the ability for that to continue.
Sitting near the back of the pack following a lightning-quick opening lap, Tanner never panicked and knew his chance would come. He was still in 11th at the halfway mark and ninth when the bell sounded, yet never doubted his strategy.
"I knew that if it was really, really fast, people were gonna burn their biscuits really early," he said. "I saw the first lap was 54 [seconds] and I was like, 'Ohhh, some people are gonna pay for that'.
"I was dead last at that point but then made a really long, smooth move, and then with 100 to go just slammed it.
"I had two goals for myself: one, stay relaxed, and two, be the last person to shoot my shot in the last 100, have the last bullet in the gun.
"I was a little off the pace, but by the last 100, I'd like to see the splits because I feel like I was closing on those top guys. I achieved all my goals."
Ollie Hoare of Australia celebrates winning the 1500m as Sam Tanner congratulates him. Photo / Photosport
Tanner didn't look like contesting the medals but there was no shame in that, given the identity of those top guys ahead of him.
Former world champion and reigning Olympic silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya was second. Scotland's Jake Wightman, who won last month's world championships, was third. And Kenya's Abel Kipsang, who finished fourth in Tokyo, matched that result in Birmingham.
With Tanner barely a second off Cheruiyot - and one of eight runners in a rapid 12-man final to set personal-best times - the delight he expressed when seeing his family post-race was understandable.
"I was just shocked," he said. "I was just like, 'Guys, I just ran 3:31, what the heck? This is ridiculous, who runs that fast? This is so dumb.'
"To run 3:31 and come sixth in the Commonwealth Games, that's gotta be one of the most stacked finals."
Given this breakthrough performance, Tanner's future aims are entirely reasonable. At the forefront of his mind is Nick Willis' national record of 3:29.66, which the two-time Olympic medallist set in 2015.
And Tanner's plan to get there also sounds sensible. "Copy his moves and then get better," he said. "It's been a goal. Records are there for other people to look at and try to get, so hopefully I can get that fast."
Then, the former surfer from Tauranga wants to ensure today's result becomes a footnote in his career, with his first chance to make that a reality coming at next year's world championships.
"I'll probably be trying to step up from his performance and make the final, that'd be the first goal," Tanner said. "Then get to the Olympics in shape to get a medal."
