On a day when world 100 metres champion Christian Coleman earned a 60m win in his first race since an 18-month ban for breaching anti-doping whereabouts rules, the biggest wave was made by fellow American Crouser's apparent addition of more than half a metre to his world record with a mark that also bettered his outdoor world's best of 23.37m.

But shortly after the second of this season’s World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meetings had ended news arrived via Crouser's agent, Paul Doyle, that there had been a laser malfunction and his mark on the throw was actually 22.45m.

Crouser donned his trademark cowboy hat to receive his trophy but the celebrations proved, sadly, to be misjudged - although not by him.

Organisers later added that the laser measuring device had been "improperly positioned" during the competition, adding: "as a result, all of the throws in the men's shot put competition have been nullified.

Spectators who had braved the snowstorms assailing the east coast of the United States to reach the Armory Arena in Manhattan were nevertheless rewarded with a rich session of athletics.

The return of Coleman, who won in 6.49sec, the third-fastest time run this year, was big news.

The 25-year-old from Atlanta, whose ban caused him to miss an Olympics at which he would have been favourite for the 100 metres title, led from start to finish, coming home 0.01sec clear of fellow American Trayvon Bromell, who topped last year’s 100m world rankings with 9.76.

After his first major race since February 2020, the 2018 world indoor champion - who holds the world record of 6.34sec - looks in shape to seek a second world indoor title following his victory in 2018, and also to defend his world outdoor title in Oregon.

Americans filled the next two places with Ronnie Baker - fifth in the Olympic final - third in 6.54 from the 200m Olympic bronze medallist and world champion Noah Lyles, who clocked 6.62.

Crouser was one of three home Olympic champions taking part in the oldest indoor meeting in the world, and conspicuously the most successful.

Katie Nageotte, the Tokyo 2020 women's pole vault gold medallist, could only clear 4.35 metres, finishing third as her US compatriot Sandi Morris, the world indoor champion, earned victory after clearing 4.75m at her second attempt despite leaving the bar twanging like one of the strings on her favourite guitar.

In the women’s Wanamaker Mile, Olympic 800 metres gold medallist Athing Mu failed to finish after coming to grief over the final 200m in a race won by fellow American Elle Purrier St Pierre in 4min 19.30sec, the fastest run so far this year.

Transgender runner Nikki Hiltz finished ninth in 4:30.75.

Ollie Hoare won the men's Wanamaker Mile in an Australian record of 3:50.83 from Britain’s Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Josh Kerr, who clocked a Scottish record of 3:52.27 but missed by two tenths of a second the British record set by Peter Elliott in 1990.

World 800m champion Donavan Brazier dropped down to the 400m but his lack of experience at this distance showed around the final bend as he sought to catch the men who finished first and second - Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor, who clocked 46.38sec, and home runner Vernon Norwood who ran 46.45.

Brazier was third in a personal best of 46.55, grinning ruefully as he crossed the line.

Geordie Beamish nipped through on the inside to win the men’s 3,000m in a New Zealand record of 7:39.50.

Home runner Alicia Monson, a Tokyo 2020 10,000m finalist, won the women's 3,000m in 8:31.62,  a 2022 world lead and meeting record.

Devon Allen, fourth-placed in the Tokyo 2020 110m hurdles final, won the 60m hurdles in 7.51sec, the fastest run so far this year, with fellow American Daniel Roberts second in 7.53.

Another 2022 world lead arrived in the men’s 800m, where home runner Bryce Hoppel timed his finish perfectly to win in 1:46.05 from Kenya’s Michael Saruni, who clocked 1:46.32.

The women’s 60m hurdles saw home athlete Keni Harrison, Olympic silver medallist and world record-holder over 100m hurdles, managing only fourth place in 8.00sec in a race won by Jamaica's Britany Anderson in a personal best of 7.91.