Danielle Williams, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Yulimar Rojas, Sha’Carri Richardson, Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles, Winfred Yavi and Shericka Jackson all rose to the challenge, but there were narrow defeats for Neeraj Chopra, Josh Kerr and Karsten Warholm, with Gianmarco Tamberi finishing fourth.

Britain’s world 1500 metres champion Kerr went for broke in a swift race which was taken through 800 metres in 1min 51.56sec, running alone over the final lap once the pacemakers had pulled away.

But after appearing to have completed his bold effort he was caught in the final strides by Yared Nuguse of the United States, who came through on the inside to clock 3:30.49, just 0.02 ahead.

“My mindset is always like ‘never give up. Keep going, keep trying’, Nuguse said.

"I was going for it when Kerr opened a space on the inside.”

Kenya’s Abel Kipsang was third in 3:30.85 with Britain’s George Mills - son of former England footballer Danny Mills - fourth in a personal best of 3:30.95 after being called in late to the field - and 18-year-old Dutch runner Niels Laros continuing to impress as he finished fast to take sixth place in 3:31.63.

Double Commonwealth 400 metres hurdles champion Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, who won his first global medal in finishing second to Karsten Warholm in Budapest, had registered the first win over a Budapest gold medallist in coming home in front of the Norwegian in 47.27sec.

The Olympic and world champion clocked 47.30, finishing one place clear of the Brazilian from whom he regained the world title in Budapest, Alison Dos Santos, who clocked 47.62.

"It feels good to get this win after the World Championships last week," McMaster said.

On the subject of the loud and supportive crowd in the Letzigrund Stadium, he added: "It always feels like this here - and there are more people here than on my island!"

India’s Olympic and world champion men’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra produced an effort of 85.71 metres with his last attempt, but it was not quite enough to overtake the Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch, the Olympic silver medallist and world bronze medallist, who won with 85.86m.

"I feel very good now, because everyone is a little tired after the World Championships - we gave our 100 per cent there, but for this competition here my focus was to just stay healthy," Chopra said.

On a decidedly cool night the world 100 and 200m champion Noah Lyles of the United States secured an impressive victory over the longer distance, being forced to work hard to maintain his advantage over the closing stages from his 19-year-old compatriot Erriyon Knighton, the world silver medallist, on the outside, and Britain’s world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes on his inside.

Knighton was second in 19.87, with the Briton third in 19.94.

"Everybody wants to beat me and everybody wants the cake and the crown, but I am not giving it to them," Lyles said.

"Today, we did not have perfect conditions, it was pretty cold. 

"To be honest I am pretty tired.

"But a win is a win."

Jamaica’s double world 200m champion Shericka Jackson won in 21.82, finishing well clear of her nearest challenger, Britain’s Daryll Neita, who recorded 22.25.

Newly installed world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson remained in winning vein as she clocked 10.88 to finish well clear of Jamaicans Natasha Richardson and double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who were respectively second and third after being given the same time of 11.00.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha pulverised a powerful men’s 5,000m field as he surged into the lead with four laps remaining and soon built up a 50 metres lead, coming home more than half the straight clear in 12:46.91.

Driven, perhaps, by frustration at finishing no better than fifth at the World Championships, the double world indoor champion finished more than seven seconds ahead of compatriot Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion, who clocked 12:54.17.

Grant Fisher of the United States, who did not qualify for Budapest, was third in 12:54.49 ahead of the fourth-placed finisher in the World Championship final, Luis Grijalva of Guetemala, who recorded 12:55.88.

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, who has set world indoor 3,000m and world outdoor 3,000m steeplechase records this year, making his 5,000m debut, ran strongly for two thirds of the race, leading for three laps, but dropped out with two laps remaining after slipping out of the first three.

Mondo Duplantis won the men’s pole vault with a first-time clearance of 6.00m - but if this was familiar, less so was the strong challenge of his old United States rival Sam Kendricks, the 2017 and 2019 world champion who failed to qualify for this year’s World Championships but who cleared 5.95m on the third attempt, causing him to bolt off on a virtual lap of honour.

Duplantis had three unsuccessful attempts at adding a centimetre to his world record of 6.22m, the third being the closest.

Just as he did in securing a first world men’s long jump title last week, Greece’s Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou moved into the lead in the last round as he produced an effort of 8.20m to surpass the mark of 8.07m set by Jamaica’s 2019 world champion and 2023 bronze medallist Tajay Gayle.

Italy’s newly established world high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi bowed out in fourth place on 2.28m as the Qatari with whom he shared the Olympic title, Mutaz Barshim, found the form he was missing in Budapest as he won with a first-time clearance of 2.35m.

Hamish Kerr, Commonwealth champion, took over lead with first-time clearance of 2.33m, a New Zealand record, but was followed over the same height by the Olympic champion, who settled matters by clearing at the next height up.

Yulimar Rojas, who earned a fourth successive triple jump world title with a dramatic last-round effort of 15.08m, continued where she had left off as she produced a 15.00m opening jump before confirming victory by reaching 15.15m in the fourth round.

Venezuela’s 27-year-old Olympic champion, whose world record stands at 15.74m, was a picture of growing puzzlement and frustration in Budapest as, after a big opening foul, she struggled to find any sort of telling form until her final jump took her past Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who earned silver with 15.00m.

On this occasion the Ukrainian could only manage 14.78m for sixth place, with Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts finishing second on 14.78m.

Jamaica’s double world champion Danielle Williams got away well and stayed away well to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.54sec under big pressure from Americans Alaysha Johnson in 12.58 and former world record holder Kendra Harrison in 12.59.

The women’s 3,000m steeplechase replicated the medal positions in Budapest as Winfred Yavi of Bahrain won in 9:03.19 ahead of Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech, who clocked 9:03.19, and her compatriot Faith Cherotich, third in 9:07.59, with Albania’s European champion Luiza Gega fourth in a national record of 9:09.64.

Laura Muir, Britain’s Olympic 1500m silver medallist, was an impressive winner of a women’s 800m missing the three world medallists, finishing a second clear of the field in 1:57.71.

Yesterday evening the women’s high jump, held at Zurich’s Central Station saw Australia’s Nina Kennedy set an Oceania indoor record of 4.91m as she defeated the American with whom she shared the 2023 world title, Olympic champion Katie Moon, who cleared 4.86m.

The Chinese city of Xiamen will host its first Wanda Diamond League meeting on Saturday (September 2), with Brussels then set to stage the penultimate meeting on September 8.

The Diamond League final is due to conclude proceedings in Eugene in Oregon on September 16 and 17.