Matthew Hudson-Smith hopes his fairytale European triumph on his home track has inspired a generation in the West Midlands.
The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton has trained on the Alexander Stadium track since he was nine and used every ounce of local knowledge to surge to men's 400m gold in 44.17 on Wednesday night.
It was his third individual European triumph over one lap and fifth gold in all as he joined France's Christophe Lemaitre as the most decorated man in this competition's history with eight continental medals.
'That was insane, it was emotional'
Hudson-Smith said: "Words can't explain how much that meant to me. That was insane, it was emotional.
"No-one was going to beat me on this track, this is my home.
"I know this track, I know where the wind is, I know the surface, I know the staff, I know the back ways to get in. My tag is probably still in the toilets from when I was nine years old.
"I want to inspire the next generation, show them we can do this and show the other cities that here in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, West Mids are the best kids."
Learning from 2022 Commonwealth Games
Hudson-Smith came into the week labelling this event 'my London 2012' and did not shy away from the pressure of succeeding on home soil.
He learned from his Commonwealth Games experience here in 2022, when he won silver after flying out the traps 'like a bat out of hell', and controlled this showpiece from the outset in lane nine.
The Olympic silver medallist was fired up by the reaction to his semi-final, when he eased up down the home straight and was reeled in, leading to suggestions by pundits that he may have been carrying an injury.
'Survive and advance'
"Everyone was messaging me saying 'are you hurt', as they were saying that on the TV," he said.
"I was like 'I'm good, man'. The whole point of the game is survive and advance. Being in lane nine was probably the best lane for me as I get on to the straight quicker.
"I knew I was the best in the world, I knew I am faster than every single one of these guys. It was just me against the clock."
Hudson-Smith joked on the BBC that he would run for mayor of Birmingham and Wolverhampton after celebrating in the stand which bears his name.
Promoting the sport
The Alexander Stadium was far from full for the hometown hero's triumph but Hudson-Smith bashed the 'negativity' around coverage of the event.
"It's on us as a sport to promote it," he said. "At the end of the day, we need to promote the sport with quicker times.
"People came. Could it have been more? Yes, but I'm not going to complain.
"On the TV, they are very negative. We need to be more positive and speak about what we can do, not just bash.
"We have to promote it in a way that is more modern with the times, use social media, be uplifting for the athletes.
"Everyone wants to be a footballer, I wanted to be a footballer myself before I transitioned to track and got talent ID'd. We need to branch it out.
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