Lavillenie is the only athlete to have won the Diamond League series every year since it started in 2010 - but the Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder received a jolt in his first meeting of 2016 as he was dramatically beaten by United States vaulter Sam Kendricks.

The 23-year-old from Mississippi, who set a personal best of 5.90 to take silver behind the Frenchman in this year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, cleared an outdoor best of 5.88 at his third attempt to earn maximum points, with Lavillenie finishing second on 5.83 and Canada’s 21-year-old world champion Shawn Barber, third on 5.70.

Rudisha’s hopes of getting a sub 1min 44sec 800 metres in his opening race of the main season ended in disappointment as he had to settle for fifth place in 1:46.24, his slowest time in five years.

But he complained afterwards that he had been seriously hampered by the presence of high jumpers on the track when the race started.

The world record holder and Olympic and world champion, who won in Melbourne 1.44.78 two months ago while making his customary early season visit to Australia, said on his arrival for what was his first appearance in Shanghai: “I want to run a fast time…I think I can run something like 1:43.50 and perhaps get a season’s best.”

He led the field with 200m to go, but had nothing extra as four men passed him in the home straight.

Kenyans filled the first three places, with Ferguson Rotich winning in 1:45.68 ahead of Robert Biwott, in 1:45.84, and Alfred Kipketer in 1:45.93.

“I’m so upset!” said Rudisha.

“I lost two seconds because of the start - there were high jumpers in the lane.”

Pacemaker Bram Som added: “There were high jumpers and javelin throwers on the track and I held my hand up for the starter to stop the race.

"He did but then the race started - I was waiting for a recall but it never came and I was 30m behind the field.”

Rudisha was not the only unhappy Olympic champion on the night as Aries Merritt, who is in a race against time to recover top form following his kidney transplant operation last September, made it clear in a tweet that he was unhappy about being disqualified from a 110m hurdles won by Jamaica's recently installed World Indoor champion Omar McLeod in 12:98:

He posted: "Can i please see footage of a flinch, shake or something. NOT POSSIBLE. Omega clearly needs to fix there [sic] S***! #TimeWasted"

McLeod, keeping his concentration despite two false starts - Orlando Ortega of Spain was also disqualified -  finished ahead of fellow countryman Hansle Parchment, in 13.12, in what was an effective re-run of last week’s race at the Doha Diamond League.

Rudisha’s fellow Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, the world silver medallist, produced the fastest time of 2016 so far in the 1500m as she set a meeting and national record of 3:56.82.

And Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng, the world 3000m steeplechase champion, missed a national record by just 0.28sec as she won in 9:07.42 after making up a 20 metres deficit on the last lap.

Kiyeng’s final charge took her past Bahrain’s 19-year-old Kenyan-born Ruth Jebet, who fell to her knees in the home straight but resumed to finish second in an Asian record of 9:15.98.

Justin Gatlin appears to be warming up for Olympic year.

The 34-year-old US world 100m and 200m silver medallist went under 10sec for the first time this season as he won in 9.94, just 0.03 off the 2016 world lead set in April by Qatar’s Femi  Ogunode, who was second in 10.07.

Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic, who lost her world discus title to Denia Caballero of Cuba in Beijing last summer, made clear her intention of defending her Olympic title in Rio as she produced a Diamond League record throw of 70.88m.

That effort, which replaced her own mark of 70.59 set on the home soil of Split in March at the head of the 2016 world rankings, destroyed a field which contained all her main rivals.

Caballero was third with 66.14 behind Australia’s 2009 world champion Dani Samuels, who reached 67.77.

“To open the meeting with a meeting record and world lead is a great start,” said Perkovic after throwing to within 20cm of her 2014 personal best.

“I have never been in better shape and I’m actually a little angry with myself  that I didn’t throw a little further.

“For the first time in my life I am healthy without back, knee and ankle problems - I know I have to be in great shape to be in the fight to win gold and deliver my dream at the Rio Olympics."

China’s Gao Xinglong, who missed out on a long jump medal by one place at last year’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing, enjoyed the feeling of being a local hero as he produced the only Chinese win of the night with an effort of 8.14m.

That effort was equalled by Rushwal Samaai of South Africa, but the maximum 10 Diamond League points went to Gao by virtue of his second best effort of 8.09, which was 2cm better than that of his challenger.

World shot put champion Joe Kovacs could only manage third place as the event made its opening appearance in this year’s Diamond League as his effort of 20.82 was bettered by New Zealand’s newly installed World Indoor champion Tom Walsh, 21.20,, and fellow American Kurt Roberts, whose last-round winning effort of 21.40 was just 7cm off Kovacs’s 2016 best.