A special mention deserves Efoloko, the 2018 Under-20 200m World Champion, who responded to the huge responsibility of tackling the opening competition by recording the second fastest breakdown of all front runners.
When asked if the medal was a means of saving demons from losing their Olympic silver, Hughes said: “What happened in the past is in the past. This is a new history. We’ve done it again. We go back and win another medal.
“We don’t control the past, we only control the present, and ultimately that dictates the future. I feel like we’re getting a medal every year now and it’s starting to normalize.
“It’s a chemistry that we guys have. What you don’t see behind the scenes is a lot of laughter, a lot of bonding, a lot of games playing. We know when to improve our game.”
Efoloko said: “I was very nervous, but Nethaneel, our British team captain, told us that pressure is a privilege. I just kept that in mind.
“All I thought about was getting out and giving the team a good lead. I was just glad I did.”
Faced with the shooting of Noah Lyles, who this week won a stunning world title in the 200m, on his leg, Hughes’ split was just 0.02 seconds lower than on the American.
“I knew he was there,” Hughes said. “But I said to the boys, ‘If you get the baton to me, I will do damage’. Catch me if you can.”
The British 4x100m men’s team has now made it to the podium at the past three World Championships, although Ujah’s positive test means they haven’t won an Olympic medal since 1988.
Mitchell-Blake said, “We got up when we had to. Thanks to everyone for raising their game and we came away with a medal.
“We showed that we are serial medalists in this relay. That shows our individual skills and the collective effort of everyone.
“Ultimately the goal is to get away with gold from the next world champions and go to Paris” [Olympics in 2024]. It is a springboard, we will get better and we have to improve our game in the future.
“We will enjoy this moment together, appreciate the fact that we have won a medal and then focus again for the rest of the season.
“We have full confidence in championships. We are not afraid of anyone. This is just fuel for the fire because we want to change this [medal] colour.”
The British women’s 4x400m team, which missed out on an Olympic medal last year when it finished fifth, looks set to battle for the podium in the final race of these championships on Sunday, as they qualified second from the semi-finals.
Only twice in 20 years has America failed to win gold, and they seem destined for another world title after finishing ahead of the British quartet of Ama Pipi, Laviai Nielsen, Victoria Ohuruogu and Nicole Yeargin.
“We are a confident team, a strong team, we are going for a medal tomorrow,” said Nielsen. “It’s going to be exciting and nerve-wracking, but I’m confident we can do it.”