On an evening of muggy heat and soaring achievements, Gatlin leaned on the line in the 100m to finish one hundredth of a second ahead of the man one lane to his left, Jamaica's former world record holder Asafa Powell, clocking 9.87 – the third fastest run this season.

Powell had to settle for second in 9.88, with fellow Jamaican Lerone Clarke equalling his personal best of 9.99 in third place.

That put Gatlin – who returned from a four-year doping suspension in 2010 - third in the world list this year behind the 9.82 and 9.84 clocked respectively by Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

"If Usain Bolt has been watching, you know it has been great racing against him, but I want everyone to know Justin Gatlin is back, and I want the Olympic title," said the American.

"The Jamaicans have got their team together well and so we have to do that as well.

"But the US has always had good is racers – we have Tyson Gay, Dix and me – I am back!"

If the World Indoor champion's victory was something of a surprise, that of his female compatriot was more of one given that the 200m is her key event.

But Felix got away to an excellent start in the short sprint and then held off the combined Jamaican power of Veronica Campbell-Brown, the world and Olympic 200m champion who earned 100m silver at last year's IAAF World Championships in Daegu, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Olympic 100m champion, winning in a meeting record of 10.92 which was also a personal best by one hundredth of a second.

The normally placid Felix had sufficient space to punch the air once as she crossed the line, her ponytail swishing behind her.

Campbell-Brown was second in 10.94, with Fraser-Pryce third in 11.00 in a race which saw Jamaica's joint Olympic silver medallists Kerron Stewars and Sherone Simpson finish seventh and eighth in 11.16 and 11.22 respectively. USA 2, Jamaica 0.

"It was very good to get one over on Campbell, especially at 100m," said Felix.

"It's pretty cool. Jamaica have some really good racers, and I think the rivalry is good."

Pamela Jelimo and David Rudisha contributed to an ominous demonstration of Kenyan middle distance power in Olympic year as they produced 800m victories in, respectively, 1min 56.94sec and 1:43.10 – two in a total of nine world-leading performances – or 10 if you count the effort of 66.17 metres in the javelin by Czech Republic's Barbora Spotakova which was surpassed by Mariya Abakumova's 66.86. There was also one equal world-leading performance and six meeting records.

Kenya supplied four of the other best performances of 2012 as they saw off all Ethiopian opposition despite the fervent support of a dense, flag-waving crowd on the bottom bend.

World 5,000 and 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruyiot held off the desperate challenge of former Olympic 5,000m champion Meseret Defar to win the 3,000m in 8:46.44, Silas Kiplagat won the 1500m in 3:29.63, Paul Kipsiele Koech earned victory in the 3,000m Steeplechase in 7:56.68 and – in a race that was not within a Diamond Race framework – Augustine Choge won the 3,000m in 7:30.42, with double Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele labouring home in seventh place.

Kenyans and the two women Javelin throwers apart, the other 2012 best performances came from Melaine Walker, who won the 400m hurdles in 54.62 and LaShawn Merritt, who earned a 400m victory in 44.19.


Dimitrios Chondrokoukis of Greece equalled the best 2012 performance so far in winning the High Jump in 2.32m.

Rudisha had to work to maintain the lead he held at the bell, but moved away over the final 50 metres from fellow Kenyan Job Kinyor, who was rewarded with a personal best of 1:43.76.

It was also a great race for Britain's aspiring Olympian Andrew Osagie, who was third in a personal best of 1:44.64.

"1:43.10 is a very good time for me," said Rudisha.

"I know all the athletes want to beat me now but I am well prepared to face the challenge.

"Great 800m runners like [Sebastian]Coe failed to win an Olympic gold but I will do my best to make it."

The women's 3,000m race produced a finish that brought back memories of other epic Kenyan-Ethiopian struggles on the track such as Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat's sprint finish in the Sydney Olympic 10,000m final as Cheruyiot maintained her lead despite a teeth-baring, desperate charge from Defar, who had to settle for second place, just five hundredths of a second behind, in 8:46.49.

"This was a great race, like an Olympic final," said Cheruyiot.

"Tense and fast. The last metres were like a 100 metres race – very, very close and really fast."

Defar added: "I felt good, it was a really great race, until the last metres. I am back and I will do my best.

"Thanks to the fantastic support from the crowd today!"

Kiplagat won a coruscating 1500 metres the fastest time recorded this year by more than five seconds, with two Kenyan rivals – Asbel Kiprop and Bethwell Birgen setting personal bests behind him.

But Kiprop, the Olympic champion, would have been justified in feeling victory should have been his as he looked strong as he took the lead at the head of the finishing straight only for his smaller compatriot to send him momentarily stumbling towards the infield after catching his right heel.

As the long-legged Kiprop struggled to regain his stride Kiplagat took full advantage to move past, although he was chased to the line by his taller rival, who finished second in 3:29.78, eclipsing the 3:30.46 he set in Rieti two years ago.

Choge, in a bright orange top, was pushed all the way to the line in the 3,000m, the concluding event of the night and not part of the Diamond Race framework, by his Kenyan compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, the 2003 World 5000m champion, who finished in 7:31.40, with Moses Kipsiro of Uganda third in 7:31.88.

Bekele looked disconsolate as he walked away having finished in 7:40.00.

Not much for his legions of supporters to cheer on this occasion.

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