It is the second fastest time of the season after the mark of 9.75 he set in winning the United States trials for this summer's IAAF World Championships in Moscow and the 29-year-old American, who was out of action for almost a year after having a hip operation in 2011, had hoped to better his personal best of 9.68 – run at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting in 2009 – on the renowned fast track at the Stade de la Pontaise.

But a time of 9.79, rounded up from 9.78, will have satisfied the quietly spoken product of Lexington, Kentucky, who finished clear of the resurgent former world record holder from Jamaica, Asafa Powell, second in 9.88 – the fourth best time run this year after Gay's 9.75, 9.79 and the 9.86 he recorded in May at the Kingston meeting.

Tyson Gay (pictured winning at the US trials in 9.75sec) won in 9.79sec in Lausanne

That performance sent out another warning to his rival Usain Bolt, the Jamaican Olympic 100 and 200m champion, who elected not to run the 100m in Switzerland but will run over the longer sprint distance at Saturday's (July 6) Diamond League meeting in Paris.

"I'm feeling good and I think I have a good chance against anybody," said Gay.

Ethiopia's Mohammed Aman also took the opportunity to underline his World Championship hope in the 800m – given the possible absence of Kenyan Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha, who is recovering from knee surgery.

Aman, the only athlete to have beaten Rudisha in the last three years, won in 1min 43.33sec, the second fastest time of the season behind the 1:43.27 run by Duane Solomon of the United States at the national trials.

Nigel Amos of Botswana, who took Olympic silver last year at the age of 18, was second in 1.44.81 in what was his first 800m of the season after a series of 400m races.

High jumper Bohdan Bondarenko succeeded where Gay had failed in setting a world-leading mark for the season.

The Ukrainian became the equal third-best jumper of all time as he won with 2.41m, a mark which set a new national record and which has only been bettered by Patrik Sjöberg of Sweden, who reached 2.42 in 1987, and Cuba's Javier Sotomayor, who set the world record of 2.45 in 1993.

Bohdan Bondarenko achieved 2.41m - the third best high jump of all time - in Lausanne

There was disappointment for two of the field events' most emphatic Olympic champions.

American triple jumper Christian Taylor had to settle for third place with an effort of 17.13m as France's world indoor record holder Teddy Tamgho, injured last season, showed he is back in the global running with an effort of 17.40.

But both were eclipsed by Cuba's up-and-coming talent Pedro Pichardo, who earned victory on the night with a final effort of 17.58, 11cm short of his own world-leading mark for this season.

In the pole vault, world and Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France, who had said he hoped to secure a record fourth consecutive victory at Lausanne by beating the meeting record of 5.91m, was one of three vaulters who failed to secure a height on an overcast evening of blustery winds.

The victory went to Greece's hugely promising Konstadinos Filippidis, who cleared 5.72 to finish 10cm clear of Germany's Raphael Holzdeppe.

Javier Culson, Puerto Rico's Olympic bronze medallist in the 400m hurdles, also showed his own chances of picking up the world title as he won in 48.14sec, a season's best for him.

In the sprint hurdles, David Oliver of the United States won in 13.03sec, the fastest time run in the world this year.

In the women's 100m hurdles, former Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson of the US won in a season's best of 12.53sec as Australia's world and Olympic champion Sally McLellan, still recovering from a hamstring injury, could only manage seventh place in 12.69.

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