The leggy Venezuelan, who trains nearby at Guadalajara, bolted out of the pit and made an aeroplane motion with her arms as she saw where she had landed with her fifth effort in the Villa de Madrid meeting at the Centro Deportivo Municipal Gallur that was hearteningly full of enthusiastic spectators.

Her coach Ivan Pedroso, Cuba’s Olympic champion in 2000 and four-times world gold medallist in the long jump, was similarly enthusiastic in the stands, punching the air, until her agonised expression registered how narrowly she had fallen short of the mark she set at the same venue two years ago.

The exuberant 26-year-old had already produced a second-round effort of 15.35m, a distance only she and former world record holder Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia had ever bettered indoors, and one she achieved despite taking off well in front of the board.

Two subsequent fouls saw her land in or around her target area before the best effort arrived - the second furthest ever recorded.

A third consecutive world indoor title in Belgrade later this month - the event taking place from March 18 to 20 - is looking hugely likely, and she may well enter the long jump too having set a personal best of 6.81m this season.

Truly the purple-haired one is having a purple patch….

Olympic 10,000 metres champion Selemon Barega earned his first World Indoor Tour victory over 3,000 metres, holding off the fellow Ethiopian who had beaten him in their two previous Tour meetings this season, Lamecha Girma.

Barega, clearly determined to make it third time lucky, led the pack through the final six laps after the final pacemaker peeled away and came under strong pressure at the bell from home runner Mohamed Katir, clearly making a good recovery having had COVID-19 in January.

But as the long-haired Spaniard arrived at his shoulder the 22-year-old responded and moved defensively out to his right before moving clear down the back straight.

Coming round the final bend the taller figure of his compatriot Girma, the 21-year-old Tokyo 2020 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist, accelerated towards what he hoped would be a third consecutive win over his rival, but could not quite manage it as Barega won in a meeting record of 7min 34.03sec.

Girma was second in 7:34.09 - thus earning the overall World Indoor Tour title - with third place going to the fast-finishing home runner who set a European indoor record of 7:30.82 in New York on February 8, Adel Mechaal, who clocked 7:35.26, with Katir fourth on 7:35.73.

Later in the evening Ethiopia earned another resounding track victory as Gudaf Tsegay looked for a while as if she might challenge the world indoor 1500 metres record of 3:53.09 she set last year before drifting off the pace as she ran the final two laps alone, clocking a meeting record of 3:57.38.

Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki set two meeting records, the second being 21.91 metres - just nine centimetres short of his indoor best - to earn victory on the night in the men's shot put and in the overall World Indoor Tour, marking his achievement by displaying the message on the back of his vest number: "Stop War!"

Bukowiecki’s compatriot Justyna Święty-Ersetic, the European 400 metres champion, looked very sharp as she won in a meeting record of 51.21sec, followed home by two runners recording bests - Modesta Juste Morauskaite of Lithuania in 51.63 and Ireland’s Phil Healy in 51.66.

Britain’s Elliot Giles, who has finished in the top two places of all of his races this season, was first behind the early pacer in the men's 800 metres but as he moved out it was home runner Mariano Garcia who darted into the lead.

But the Briton had enough in reserve to move past him again to win in a meeting record of 1:45.43 to secure the overall World Indoor Tour title, thus creating a third British place in the forthcoming World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

On the track where Grant Holloway lowered the world record to 7.29sec last year, Asier Martinez got the verdict over fellow Spaniard Enrique Llopis as both recorded 7.56 in the men's 60 metres hurdles, a personal best for the latter athlete, with Britain’s David King third in a personal best of 7.57.

Britain’s world indoor champion Andy Pozzi, who had struggled to qualify as a fastest loser for the final of the 60 metres hurdles, did not show for the second race.

Eleanor Patterson of Australia, who heads this season’s world rankings with 1.99 metres, earned victory in the women's high jump with 1.96m, six centimetres clear of Finland’s Ella Junnila.

Patterson’s compatriot Catriona Bisset finished similarly well clear in the women’s 800 metres, clocking 2:00.10.

Britain’s Lorraine Ugen, who won the British indoor title at the weekend with 6.75 metres, won with a meeting record of 6.67 metres in the women's long jump.

The men’s 60 metres was won by Elijah Hall of the United States in 6.57sec, while the men's triple jump went to Cuba's Lazaro Martinez with a distance of 17.12 metres.