An extraordinary back-and-forth battle saw Kiwi shot putter Maddi Wesche narrowly miss out on winning a gold medal in the women's shot put final this morning.
Wesche stamped her authority on a rain affected final early on, hitting the lead with a 19.58m throw in the first rounds of throwing that saw competitors slipping and sliding all over the circle.
USA star Raven Saunders went out in the first round of the final and defending champion Gong from China also never got going.
However, as the rain cleared and the throws got bigger, Germany's Yemisi Ogunleye went big in her penultimate fifth throw, recording a distance of 19.73m to take the lead.
Wesche tore the lead back moments later though when she threw 19.86m, a personal best for her.
The gold medal seemed destined for the 25-year-old Kiwi's neck but Ogunleye stepped up to the pressure and threw 20.00m in her final throw to retake the lead as the last putter to go before Wesche.
Wesche then looked to have beaten Ogunleye again due to a deceptive television angle that had commentators exclaiming she had done it.
However, when the throw was measured it was well short of the 20.00m mark needed and a smiling Wesche settled for a much deserved silver in a women's shot put final for the ages.
Wesche spoke after the intense final and was all smiles.
"I had butterflies going into that last throw to be honest. I knew I was capable of producing a 20 metre throw but it just didn't happen on the day.
"I am just so excited to be a part of women's shot put which is so competitive at the moment."
Wesche also congratulated her German rival on her last minute gold medal.
"Yep, I cheered for her on her final throw."
She said the wet weather wasn't an issue for her after dealing with Auckland weather for so long.
"It still hasn't sunk in yet, hopefully I won't be a crying ball of mess on the podium."
Wesche got emotional when speaking about the achievement and what it would mean to her late father.
"I am proud to be a Samoan girl in New Zealand and my dad isn't here with us anymore and to do his culture proud is something I am super happy about."
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