The performance of the 22-year-old Olympic 1500m champion was nearly matched by that of the Kenya's world and Olympic women's 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon, who rounded off a stupendous season by setting the fifth fastest ever time of 3:50.72.

For the two Americans who arrived at Hayward Field as world 100m champions, however, there were surprise defeats.

Noah Lyles finished second to compatriot Christian Coleman, who equalled the 2023 world best of 9.83sec, and Sha’Carri Richardson could only manage fourth place in a race won in 10.70 by the Jamaican who will seek to break the longstanding world 200m record, Shericka Jackson, on the second day of the final tomorrow.

There was a surprise too in the men’s 400m hurdles where home athlete Rai Benjamin earned a rare victory over Norway’s world and Olympic champion Karsten Warholm, clocking 46.39sec, a Diamond League record, meeting record and the fastest time recorded this season.

Ingebrigtsen, who had to accept 1500m silver for a second successive year in Budapest last month but who retained his world 5,000m title, took almost three seconds off his personal best, followed home by US runner Yared Nuguse.

On the eve of the meeting, Nuguse had speculated about breaking the US record of 3:46.91.

Ingebrigtsen, sitting alongside him at the press conference, interjected with a smile: "Just stick to me as long as you can, and we’ll get you sub-3:46."

"We’ll see," responded Nuguse. "I might be closer than you think."

The race proved both men right as the 24-year-old from Kentucky set a North American record of 3:43.97 in second place, with Britain’s in-form George Mills - son of England footballer Danny - coming home third in a personal best of 3:47.65.

Spain’s Mario Garcia was fourth in a national record of 3:47.69, with Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot fifth in a world under-20 record of 3:48.06.

Azzedine Habz was eighth in a French record of 3:48.64, with 18-year-old Niels Laros ninth in a Dutch record of 3:48.93.

Now only El Guerrouj and Kenya's Noah Ngeny, who finished first and second respectively in Rome on July 7, 1999 in 3:43.13 and 3:43.40, have run faster than the Norwegian phenomenon, who broke the world 2,000m record in Brussels on September 8.

Ingebrigtsen, who is also due to run in tomorrow's 3,000m, was asked if he was done for the season after Eugene. 

"Not quite," he replied.

"Hopefully getting married next weekend, so I think I have to prepare for that as well.”

Richardson could only manage fourth place in 10.80 as Jackson warmed up in ideal fashion for tomorrow’s 200m challenge as she seeks to eclipse the mark of 21.34 set by the late US sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner at the Seoul 1988 Olympics.

Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast was second in a season’s best of 10.75, with Jamaica’s 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah third in a season’s best of 10.79.

Seven women broke 11sec, with Britain’s 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith seventh in 10.96.

Kipyegon produced another superlative piece of running in a season in which she has set world records in the 1500m, mile and 5,000m and won world 1500 and 5,000m titles in a unbeaten run.

The Kenyan, who became the first woman to better 3:50 for the 1500m this season when she clocked 3:49.11 in Florence, finished more than three seconds clear of a classy field.

Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji was second in a personal best of 3:53.93, with Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir third in a season’s best of 3:55.16, Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu fourth in a personal best of 3:55.68 and Linden Hall of Australia fifth in an Area record of 3:56.92.

"This was amazing, starting with the world records and now winning the trophy," said Kipyegon.

"It has been a fantastic year for me and I really thank God for that."

Coleman, the 2019 world champion who led this year’s world final before dropping back to fifth place,  equalled the 2023 best time set by Lyles in winning his title in Budapest last month. 

Zharnel Hughes has also run that time in New York this season for what was a British record.

Lyles, who has won three world 200m titles in a row, was second in 9.85 with Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala finishing third and being given the same time.

"This year I feel like I had a mental breakthrough to where I’m able to just find my stride and stick to it," Coleman said.

"And I feel like next year I’ll be able to capitalise."

In similar fashion to Coleman, US athlete Rai Benjamin earned a measure of revenge over Norway’s world and Olympic men’s 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm .

It was a hugely satisfying result for the 26-year-old New Yorker, who took silver behind the Norwegian at the Doha 2019 World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and earned bronze this summer as Warholm regained his world title in Budapest.

In a tight race, as Warholm finished second in 46.53, with world silver medallist Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands third in 47.31 and Brazil’s 2022 world champion Alison Dos Santos, whose season was hindered by an early knee injury, fourth in 47.44.

"It’s definitely is a good rivalry," said Benjamin.

"I’m not really too caught up in this win. 

"What matters is winning at major championships and I haven’t done that yet so I need to do that."

Venezuela’s world and Olympic women’s triple jump champion, who won her fourth consecutive title last month thanks to a dramatic final effort of 15.08m, produced a similar performance to claim the honours with a fifth-round jump of 15.35m, a meeting record and the best jump recorded this year.

Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts finished second with a personal best of 15.03m.

In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Bahrain’s naturalised Kenyan world champion Winfred Yavi won in an Area and meeting record of 8min 50.66sec, the fastest time run this season, with Kenya’s world silver medallist Beatrice Chepkoech, who last week set a world best for the 2,000m steeplechase, second in a season’s best of 8:51.67.

Another outstanding performance came in the women’s shot put, where home thrower Chase Ealey, who retained her world title last month, won with a national and meeting record of 20.76m, the best achieved in the world this year.

South Korea’s world indoor champion and world silver medallist Sanghyeok Woo won the men’s high jump with 2.35m, equalling his national record, with Poland’s Norbert Kobielski second in a national record of 2.33m.

A first-round effort of 17.43m was enough to win Cuba’s Andy Diaz Hernandez victory in the men’s triple jump, with Burkina Faso’s world champion Hugues Fabrice Zango having to settle for second place at 17.25m.

Jakob Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, the Olympic silver medallist and world bronze medallist in the men’s javelin, won with a final-round throw of 84.24m after India’s world and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra had seemed poised to win with a effort of 83.80m.

Home pole vaulter Katie Moon, the world and Olympic champion, secured first place with a meeting record of 4.86m, with Slovenia’s Tina Sutej second in an outdoor personal best of 4.81m.

A second-round throw of 63.78m earned Japan’s world women’s javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi victory.

Grenada’s London 2012 men’s 400m champion Kirani James earned victory in 44.30 from home athlete Quincy Hall, who clocked 44.44 in a race that Britain’s world silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith failed to finish.

Kenya’s Simon Koech won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in 8min 06.26sec.