The time and heights were nothing special, but for Rhys Williams and Robbie Grabarz it was all about performing under pressure.
Pressure for Williams came in knowing he had to outshine team-mate Nathan Woodward and run the Olympic 'A' standard of 49.50 seconds to enhance his chances of claiming the last place at London 2012 in the 400 metres hurdles.
For high jumper Grabarz, the pressure was self inflicted after he talked up his own chances of claiming gold in the European Championships, despite being in his first major championship final after years of underachievement.
Both men delivered in Helsinki, Williams winning in 49.33secs and Grabarz triumphing on countback after he and Lithuania's Raivydas Stanys both cleared 2.31m.
"The time wasn't fast but I honestly don't care," 28-year-old Welshman Williams said. "It is a stepping stone. It is the start of the season and I haven't been running too quick, but I hope by the end of the season I get a bit quicker like I know I can.
"I hit a few hurdles in the final so I am adamant I can go quicker. Before these championships I had people in the Welsh press going 'If you don't make the team is that the end of you?' I was going 'God what has it come to?
"I have been training my guts off and I have people asking me if I am going to retire. I thought 'No way, no chance.' I hope this will shut them up."
Williams, who has now won bronze, silver and gold in consecutive European Championships, succeeds former training partner Dai Greene as European champion and will be hoping to match Greene's upward curve since.
"You know what confidence can do," Williams added. "Look at Dai Greene. Confidence has turned him into a different person. So hopefully this will springboard me into running a bit quicker, because that is what I need to do to get in the Olympic final."
Grabarz also believes he will need to do better than 2.31m to be in medal contention at the Olympics, with his personal best of 2.36m set earlier this month leaving him joint second on the world rankings in 2012.
"It will take plenty more than 2.31m to win in London," added the 24-year-old from Cambridgeshire, who lost his National Lottery funding at the end of last year for not reaching performance targets, including finishing a lowly 23rd in qualifying at the European Indoors.
"It's going to be a massive competition. Everyone is going to bring their best game so it's going to take something spectacular to win."
In a week when too many athletes have complained of injuries, fatigue or tight tracks - especially for the liking of UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee - Grabarz has been refreshingly honest and demanding of himself.
"I had to win if everyone expected me to do so," he added. "That's why I came here, for the title. It was really good fun. I came here to learn more about myself and to compete under pressure.
"The high jump is mostly a head game. Once you get your body in the right place the rest of it is in your head. It's just you and the bar."
