The Europeans ended the second day of a competition which has its origins in the World Cup events held from 1977-2006 with 447.5 points.

The Americas were second with 390, Africa took third place with 339 and Asia-Pacific were fourth with 257.5 at the end of an evening when, thankfully, the number of spectators in Le Grande Stade improved substantially from the figure for the previous evening.

Lesueur, France's world indoor and European long jump champion, won one of the most dramatic and competitive events of the night with a fourth and final effort of 6.66 metres, which also earned her the standard individual winner's prize of $30,000 (£18,500/€23,000).

Her final flourish enabled her to take over first place from Serbia's Ivana Španović, silver medallist behind Lesueur at the Europeans, who had overtaken the first round lead of 6.34 set by American Tianna Bartoletta with a third round effort of 6.56.

Bartoletta, who tops this year's world rankings with 7.02m, improved to 6.45 in her third round, but still finished third.

Lavillenie's hopes of finishing his season with a 6.00m pole vault were unrealised tonight, although he gave it a go.

France's Olympic and European champion, who set a world record of 6.16 in February, required just one vault - a first time clearance at 5.65 to earn maximum points.

China's Xue Changrui cleared 5.65 at his third attempt and took second place after failing at 5.70.

The Frenchman skipped straight to 5.80, which he cleared on his third attempt, but then made three fruitless efforts to clear 5.90.

Lavillenie's compatriot Compaoré also contributed full points to the cause of Team Europe, winning the triple jump with a personal best of 17.48, two centimetres further than his effort in Zurich last month which won him the European title.

In second place, Godfrey Khotso Mokoena of South Africa produced a national record of 17.35.

France's European triple jump champion Benjamin Compaoré produced a personal best of 17.48m to take maximum points for Team Europe, who were runaway winners of the second IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakesh ©Getty Images

Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku rounded off an outstandingly successful year with victory in the men's 3,000m in 7min 52.64sec, leaving Azerbaijan's Hayle Ibrahimov, who followed Briton Mo Farah home for 5,000m silver in last month's European Championships, in second place with 7:53.14, and American former world 1,500m champion Bernard Lagat, who will turn 40 on December 12 and made his debut in this format of competition 12 years ago, third in 7:53.95.

The 21-year-old Kenyan has thus won world indoor, African, Commonwealth Games and now Continental Cup titles this year, as well as finishing top in the IAAF Diamond Race and posting the best 3,000m time run in 2014, 7:31.66.

A super-competitive men's 800m was won by Botswana's 20-year-old Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos in 1min 44.88sec, with his African team mate Mohammed Aman, the reigning world champion, second in 1:45.34 and Poland's European champion Adam Kszczot third in 1:45.72.

Dafne Schippers of The Netherlands, who turned from heptathlete into European 100m and 200m champion this year, followed up her third place in yesterday's 100m with victory in the longer sprint in 22.38, with Joanna Atkins of the US second in 22.53 and France's Myriam Soumaré third in 22.58.

Dafne Schippers wins the longer sprint for Team Europe ©Getty Images

Valerie Adams, New Zealand's world and Olympic shot put champion, was unable to start her competition after pain-killing treatment for a groin injury suffered while she was warming up went wrong.

"I had an injection and it hit my nerve so now I cannot feel my hands," she said.

"I am very upset."

In Adams' absence, eight points for victory went to Christina Schwanitz, Germany's European champion, who achieved 20.02m - 57cm less than the New Zealander's 2014 world leading mark set at the Brussels Diamond League meeting on September 5.

Dawn Harper-Nelson, the 2008 Olympic 100m hurdles champion who tops this year's world listing with 12.44, earned maximum points for the Americas with a Championship record of 12.47, while Great Britain's Tiffany Porter clocked a national record of 12.51 in second place.

Ihab El-Sayed of Egypt became the first non-European to win the men's javelin in this format of competition, defeating world javelin champion Vítězslav Veselý with a mark of 85.44m.

The Czech Republic athlete managed 83.77 to finish 25cm ahead of the London 2012 Olympic champion, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, with Kenya's Julius Yego fourth with 83.06.

Ihab El-Sayed became the first non-European to win the men's javelin in this format of competition ©Getty Images

The men's 200m victory went to Panama's Alonso Edward in 19.98, with his Americas team mate Rasheed Dwyer being credited with the same time, a personal best, in second place.

Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia produced one of the clearest of victories on the second day of competition as she finished almost 25 seconds clear of her nearest challenger in the women's 5,000m, African team mate Joyce Chepkirui, as she clocked 15min 33.32sec.

The Kenyan's time in second place, 15:58.31, was a personal best.

Britain's 40-year-old European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey finished just 0.36sec behind to claim third place.

Sergey Shubenkov, Russia's double European champion, won the men's 110m hurdles race in 13.23, 0.02 ahead of Ronnie Ash of the United States, with Britain's European and Commonwealth silver medallist William Sharman third in the same time as the American.

Estonia's former Olympic champion Gerd Kanter won the men's discus at a canter, reaching 64.46m with his fourth and final attempt.

Jorge Y Hernández of Cuba was second with 62.97.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who tops this year's world rankings in the women's 1,500m with 3min 57.00sec, lived up to her reputation to take maximum points in 4:05.99, with Shannon Rowbury of the United States second in 4:07.21. 

Kenya's Hellen Obiri, who had been expected to be Hassan's main challenger, could only manage fourth place in 4:08.15.

Emma Coburn of the United States earned a first win over Hiwot Ayalew in the women's 3,000m steeplechase in 9min 50.67sec, with the Ethiopian clocking 9:51.59.

Jairus Birech of Kenya, who has dominated the men's 3,000m steeplechase this year, maintained business as usual with victory in 8min 13.18sec ahead of Evan Jager of the United States, who clocked 8:14.08.

Poland's European hammer champion Anita Włodarczyk, who set a world record of 79.58m in Berlin on August 31, was an expected winner here as she produced a best effort of 75.21 to finish well clear of Amanda Bingson of the Americas, who reached 72.38.

Mariya Kuchina of Russia won the women's high jump for Europe with 1.99m.

Second place went to Chaunté Lowe of the Americas with a personal best of 1.97.

The Americas quartet won the women's 4x400m in 3min 20.93, the fastest time run this season, and more than three seconds clear of Team Europe, who clocked 3:24.12.

The concluding event of the men's 4x400m was won by Africa in their best ever time of 3min 00.02sec, with Europe close behind in 3:00.10.

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