American moves to No.4 on world all-time list on night of many top marks and some superb sprints in Switzerland

On an evening of many top performances at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Noah Lyles stole the show as he became the fourth-fastest man in 200m history.

Clocking 19.50 (-0.1m/sec), the American ran the quickest time since the 2012 Olympic final and now sits behind only Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Michael Johnson on the global all-time rankings.

Powering away off the bend, 21-year-old Lyles improved his previous best by 0.15 of a second for a clear win ahead of Alex Quiñónez with an Ecuadorian record of 19.87 and Canada’s Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown with 19.92 and 19.95 respectively.

Such was the standard, world champion Ramil Guliyev’s 20.01 only placed him fifth.

“The track here is burning up,” said Lyles. “I’m feeling good here. Me and my coach have been working really hard.

“It was a good, well executed race. It was about getting out strong. There is nothing better than seeing the accomplishments of what you have put in. It’s time for the next race.”

There were also impressive times in the women’s 100m as two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce continued her return to top form by clocking 10.74 (0.2m/sec) for a time just 0.04 off her PB and 0.01 off the world-leading mark she shares with her fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson from the national championships.

In second, Dina Asher-Smith ran 10.91 for her second-fastest ever time behind her British record of 10.85 set when winning the European title last summer.

Marie-Josée Ta Lou was third in 10.93, while Dafne Schippers was fourth in 11.04.

“It is a long season this year, I am feeling great,” said Fraser-Pryce. “Let’s see how the season progresses. I will happily embrace anything that the season will throw at me.”

Asher-Smith, who had earlier received a yellow card after the race was declared a faulty start, said: “My coach will be frustrated about my start. I was annoyed when I crossed the finish line. At the Diamond League in London I want to run as fast as I can and win. I have a season’s best so I can’t complain.”

Justin Gatlin won the non-Diamond League men’s 100m in 9.92 from Mike Rodgers with 10.01, while Gabrielle Thomas came through to win the non-Diamond League women’s 200m in 22.69, just pipping Britain’s Jodie Williams who clocked a season’s best of 22.75 after PBs this season in the 100m and 400m. Ashleigh Nelson was fourth in a PB of 22.85.

Earlier on and Diamond League track action had kicked off in fine style as world silver medallist Salwa Eid Naser won the 400m in a meeting record of 49.17, just holding off a fast-finishing Aminatou Seyni of Niger with a national record of 49.19.

Britain’s Laviai Nielsen was fourth in 51.31, a time which is her second-quickest ever after the 51.21 she ran twice at the European Champs and she later explained how she only got the race call up two days before.

Over in the men’s pole vault, an exciting contest was won by Piotr Lisek. As the bar remained at 6.01m for a jump off, the world silver medallist cleared that height for a world lead, meeting record and Polish record as world champion Sam Kendricks settled for second with 5.95m.

Mondo Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie both cleared a best of 5.81m.

After first-time clearances up to 2.00m, Mariya Lasitskene needed three attempts at 2.02m but with that height cleared and the win secured, she had three goes at a would-have-been PB 2.07m.

An exciting 1500m was won by Timothy Cheruiyot as the Kenyan world silver medallist ran a world-leading meeting record of 3:28.77 for victory after clocking a rapid 1:49.4 at 800m.

Double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen finished strongly to pass six athletes on the last lap and finish second, clocking a 3:30.16 PB to move from fifth to third on the world under-20 all-time list.

No only does that time take more than a second off his own European under-20 record, it is also faster than Reyes Estévez’s European under-23 record of 3:30.87 and moves him to eighth on the senior European all-time list.

Britain’s Jake Wightman ran 3:34.40 for his third-quickest ever time and a qualifying mark for the IAAF World Championships in Doha.

There was drama in the men’s 5000m as Olympic and world medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet stopped running with a lap to go. Kicking with 700m remaining, he thought he had the race won but there was still a lap left and double world indoor 3000m champion Yomif Kejelcha moved past his celebrating compatriot to win in 13:00.56 from Selemon Barega with 13:01.99.

After rejoining the race following his 54-second penultimate lap, Gebrhiwet eventually clocked 13:09.59 in 10th.

A strong finish secured 2015 world silver medallist Shamier Little 400m hurdles success as she clocked 53.73 ahead of Zuzana Hejnová’s 54.11, while there was 110m hurdles victory for Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega as he ran 13.05 ahead of Daniel Roberts’ 13.11. Andrew Pozzi was fourth in a season’s best of 13.28 for his fastest time in two years.

The men’s 800m was won by Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal in 1:43.78 from Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich with 1:43.93 as Britain’s Guy Learmonth placed 10th in 1:45.86 for a mark just outside the Doha World Championships qualifying standard (1:45.80).

Nelly Jepkosgei clocked 1:59.54 to pip Halimah Nakaayi with 1:59.97 in the non-Diamond League women’s 800m.

There were two throws victories for Germany as 2015 world champion Christina Schwanitz won the shot put with 19.04m, while European champion Christin Hussong won the javelin with 66.59m.

Olympic champion Caterine Ibargüen got the win in the triple jump with a season’s best of 14.89m to world champion Yulimar Rojas’ 14.82m, while world indoor winner Juan Miguel Echevarría secured long jump success with his 8.32m from the second round.

The final event of the meet, the women’s 4x100m, was won by Netherlands in 42.33, just short of the 42.21 world lead.