Although the taller Jamaican runner - whose season’s best of 9.82 was equalled in Lausanne on Thursday (July 8) by the world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt - established a lead at the halfway point, he was overhauled in the final 30 metres as Gay made his first 100m of the season memorable.

Nevertheless Gay, whose early season has been disrupted by a hamstring injury, held the back of his right leg after both his semi-final and final here in the Aviva British Grand Prix.

"I’m still rusty," he said after the race.

To which Powell, standing alongside him, responded with a grin: "When Tyson says he’s rusty, I know he’s ready.

"I thought I was pushing through, but I started to ease it a bit too much, and Tyson came through."

Gay thus extends his 100m record against Powell to 9-7 after what was their first meeting over the distance since last year’s Shanghai meeting, where the American set his national record of 9.69.

It was a disappointing return for Powell to the track where, on a scorching day in 2006, he equalled his world record of 9.77.

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