New Zealand middle distance great Nick Willis admits winning the first world championship medal of his career was always going to be a tall order in London.
Willis was forced to settle for eighth place in a 1500m final dominated by Kenyan athletes as the curtain came down on the meet in London.
Elijah Manangoi won a relatively slow final from Timothy Cheruiyot, with Norway's Filip Ingebrigtsen third.
Willis was too far back to threaten but looked strong in the home straight, surging past three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya to clock three minutes 36.82 seconds.
The double Olympic medallist ran in typical style near the tail of the field but that tactic backfired when a trio of Kenyans upped the pace in the second lap following a passive start to the race.