But the performance of the meeting came from Kenya's Olympic 3,000m steeplechase champion Brimin Kipruto, who produced the second fastest time ever, 7min 53.64sec, missing the world record by one hundredth of a second.

Kipruto produced a final lap of around 60 seconds, but just missed the mark set in 2003 by Saif Saaeed Shaheen, a fellow Kenyan who switched allegiance to Qatar.

"Next time at the World Championships I will try and break the record," Kipruto said.

Bolt was the last sprinter to rise from his blocks in the short sprint and he had to work hard to overhaul Carter, who lowered his season's best to 9.90 in second place, with Michael Rodgers of the United States third in 9.96.

"It wasn't the best start," said Bolt after his first Monaco appearance.

"Other than that I think I executed well overall.

"My aim this season is to run 9.7, maybe 9.6. For me, this year is about building myself and going into the Olympic season fit and ready.

"London 2012 is the key."


Farah gave further notice of his intentions at the World Championships which start in Daegu next month as he completed his eighth consecutive win.

The Somali-born Briton wound the pace up over the final few laps and outsprinted former world champion Bernard Lagat, now of the United States, and Kenya's Kiplangat Koech in the finishing straight before settling to his knees to give praise for a win which eclipsed his previous mark of 12.57.94 set in Zurich last year.

Lagat's time of 12:53.60 was a US record.

David Rudisha, the world 800m champion,set the fastest time recorded so far this year with 1:42.61, with fellow Kenyan Asbel Kiprop, the Olympic 1500m champion, second in a personal best of 1:43.15.

Amantle Montsho set a Botswana national record in winning the 400m in 49.71, which would have been top of the world list for this year but for the clocking earlier in the day of 49.35 by Anastasiya Kapachinskaya at the Russian Championships.

Carmelita Jeter beat her fellow American Allyson Felix, the three-times world champion,over 200 metres, clocking a personal best of 22.22.

Felix, who plans do double up at 400 metres in this year's World Championships, ran a season's best of 22.32.

Sally Pearson of Australia, the Olympic 100m hurdles silver medallist, underlined her position as the current world number one by winning in 12.51, with Britain's adopted American, Tiffany Ofili-Porter, setting a British record of 12.60 in third place.

In the absence of world indoor record holder Teddy Tamgho, who is out for the season with a fractured ankle, Britain's world champion Phillips Idowu won the triple jump with 17.36 metres.

Barbora Spotakova, the Olympic javelin champion from the Czech Republic, won with her last throw, a world-leading effort of 69.45m.


There was also a 2011 leading performance in the 1500 metres from Kenya's Silas Kiplagat, although his time of 3:30.47 was overshadowed by a fight after the race between the two bitter French rivals Mahiedine Benabbad Mekhissi and Mahdi Baala, who had to be separated by officials after trading blows.

At one point Baala, a former European champion, is reported to have said to his fellow countryman:

"I'm going to break you in two", although he later added: "At such an event, in front of a full stadium, it's a shame to give a bad image to athletics."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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