The programme was restricted specifically to the sporting events and a special tribute was paid to the victims of the slaughter on the Promenade des Anglais during Bastille Day celebrations, leaving at least 84 dead and 200 injured. 

In a statement, the organisers of the Herculis meeting in the Stade Louis II commented: "The world of sport in the Principality joins the grief of the families, wishes to express its solidarity and condolences to all relatives and the French national and regional authorities."

The outstanding performances came from high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, who set an Italian record of 2.39 meres - but then suffered a worrying ankle injury while attempting 2.41m which required him to be taken to hospital - and South Africa’s former world 800 metres champion Caster Semenya, whose winning time of 1min 55.33sec was a national record.

Tamberi, who last week added the European high jump title to the world indoor version he won in Portland, Oregon in March, won the competition by clearing 2.37 - equal to his personal best – at the first attempt, with Ukraine's 2013 world champion Bohdan Bondarenko second on countback.

The exuberant 24-year-old then surpassed the national record - but at a price, as Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim, second on the all-time listings with his 2014 effort of 2.43m and fourth on the night with 2.31m, made clear:

“I went to congratulate Gianmarco for his national record but then he twisted his ankle.

He’s in a lot of pain right now.

“It’s not good - I feel sorry for him.”

Earlier in the day, Tamberi put a picture up on Facebook saying “Pray for Nice”.

He added: “I have never been so close to a terror attack. All my thoughts go to the families and people who live in Nice.”

Semenya’s time - which was also a Diamond League record, a meeting record and the fastest time run in 2016 - had a big effect as it pushed runner-up Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, the world indoor champion, to set a national record of 1:56.24 ahead of Kenya’s 2013 world champion Eunice Sum, who clocked a season’s best of 1:57.47.

Molly Ludlow of the United States had a personal best of 1:57.68 in fourth place, Britain’s Lynsey Sharp ran a season’s best of 1:57.75 in fifth and Poland’s surprise European champion Angelika Cichocka was sixth in a personal best of 1:58.97.

The men’s 1500m produced a shock - it was not won by Asbel Kiprop.

The Kenyan’s time of 3:26.69 in the Stade Louis II last year made him the third fastest of all time, but this time round he could do no better than sixth place in 3:32.03, one place behind Britain’s world and Olympic 5000 and 10,000m champion Mo Farah, who clocked 3:31.74 in a race won by Kiprop’s compatriot Ronald Kwemoi in 3:30.49.

Kenya’s world silver medallist Elijah Manangoi was second in 3:31.19 with third place going to Algeria’s Olympic champion Taofik Makhloufi, who clocked 3:31.95.

The pace was too hot for Norway’s respective gold and bronze medallists of last weekend, Filip and Henrik Ingebrigtsen, although Filip ran a personal best of 3:33.72 in 10th place, two ahead of his elder brother who clocked 3:34.57.

Omar McLeod of Jamaica, who heads this year’s world rankings in the 110m hurdles, hit trouble and finished last in a distant 16.82sec after stumbling at the final barrier as the race went to Spain’s Orlando Ortega in a season’s best of 13.04 ahead of France’s European champion Dmitri Bascou, who had a personal best of 13.12, and fellow Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, who clocked 13.17.

Dafne Schippers, who had retained her European 100m title a week earlier in 10.90, did not need such speed to be victorious in the Principality, clocking 10.94 ahead of Jamaica’s former Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in 11.12 and South Africa’s Carina Horn in 11.14.

Hellen Obiri produced the second  fastest 3,000m of the season behind the 8:23.11 run by Ethiopia’s world 5,000m champion Almaz Ayana.

The Kenyan ran 8:24.27 to finish ahead of compatriot Mercy Cherono, who clocked 8:27.25.

Such was the quality of the race that the next seven finishers set personal bests - Janet Kisa of Kenya ran 8:28.33, Norway’s Karoline Grovdal - who won European 10,000m bronze despite a busted shoe – ran 8:39.47 ahead of Britain’s European 5,000m bronze medallist Steph Twell in 8:40.98, Canada’s Nicola Sifuentes 8:46.25, Katie Mackie of the US 8:46.58, Domique Scott of South Africa 8:46.65 and Dera Dida of Ethiopia 8:48.31.

Colombia's Caterine Ibarguen, whose winning run of 34 meetings since losing London 2012 gold was ended at last month’s Birmingham IAAF Diamond League, was back on the gold standard with 14.96m ahead of Venezuela’s world indoor champion Yulimar Rojas, who had a best of 14.64.

In a non-Diamond League event, Alfred Kipketer, winner of the Kenyan 800m trial, won over two laps in 1:44.47 ahead of Poland’s Adam Kszczot, who retained his European title last weekend, and who ran a season’s best of 1:44.49.

World 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa is ticking over nicely - he won in 44.12 to maintain his Diamond Race lead.

Germany's world shot put champion Christina Schwanitz defended her European title in emphatic style in Amsterdam last week, but she hit reality checkpoint in Monaco as Valerie Adams, who will defenind her Olympic title at Rio 2016 next month, returned to the level of competition she has grown accustomed to in recent years as she secured victory with a season’s best of 20.05m.

Adams, unable to defend her world title last summer as she struggled to recover from shoulder and wrist surgery from the previous autumn, held an early lead with 19.76m and, although her German opponent bettered that in round five, Adams also hit the jackpot in the same round to lay down a serious marker for Rio 2016.

US Olympic Trials winner Michelle Carter was third with 19.58m, ahead of the 19.13m achieved by fellow American Tia Brooks, who missed out on Rio 2016.

Britain’s Eilidh Doyle ran a personal best of 54.09 to win the women’s 400m hurdles and take the lead in this season’s Diamond Race, with second place going to Cassandra Tate of the US in 54.63 and Sarah Petersen - who last weekend became the first Danish woman to win a European title - in a season’s best of 54.81.

The women’s pole vault was won by Greece’s US-based Katerina Stefanidi, who matched the 4.81m she had achieved in setting a European Athletics Championship record in Amsterdam last Sunday (July 10) to earn a victory over current world champion Yarisley Silva, from Cuba.

She had a best of 4.71, and the 2011 world champion Fabiana Murer, from Brazil, who managed 4.65m, a height that was matched by Britain’s former European indoor champion Holly Bradshaw.