Ethiopian Meseret Defar kept up the Bislett stadium's reputation as one where records will continue to be broken by setting the 53rd, smashing her previous world record mark in the women's 5000m by eight seconds.

Defar, the 23-year-old Olympic champion, timed 14min 16.63sec after some great pace-making by Russian Olga Komyagina and a final 800m in 2:12.51.

"Everything was perfect today," said Defar. "I knew I could break the record after 2km. The pacemaker was great and it was no problem to continue with the pace alone."

With a tailwind of 0.9m/s, Powell enjoyed a great start and raced home in 9.94sec, his 27th sub-10sec timing recorded over the blue riband event, and just one-hundredth off the world lead set last week by American Walter Dix.

"9.94sec was a good time for me today," the 24-year-old Jamaican said. "I ran 9.96sec here last year so I'm at the same spot. Things are looking good for me."

Powell, who missed the 2005 worlds through injury, confirmed that his sights were set firmly on the August 25-September 2 World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.

"The world championships are the most important thing this year. I want to go the final and win a gold medal there," he said.

The Jamaican dominated a strong field that included double European sprint champion and Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu, Trinidad's 2003 world silver medallist Darrel Brown and African record holder Olusoji Fasuba.

Obikwelu came second in 10.06sec with Fasuba promoted to third after Briton Marlon Devonish was disqualified.

Devonish, the Athens Olympics 4x100m relay gold medallist, was a last-minute inclusion after earlier clocking 10.20sec in the "B" race.

But he was disqualified from the main event for having run twice in the same day.

Isinbayeva, who has previously bemoaned the dearth of quality opposition in her event, entered the pole vault at 4.60m with only Poland's Monica Pyrek left in the competition.

Pyrek promptly crashed out at 4.70m while Isinbayeva had to settle for 4.85m.

In the tightly-contested high jump, Russian Yelena Slesarenko won with a season's best of 2.02m ahead of Croatia's Blanka Vlasic.

Elsewhere, Morocco's Adil Kaouch won the coveted Dream Mile in 3:51.14, a surprise winner over Commonwealth champion Augustine Choge of Kenya.

American Anwar Moore won the 110m hurdles in 13.26sec, edging compatriot David Payne by 0.01sec with Thomas Blaschek of Germany in third.

In the field, Phillips Idowu of Britain won the triple jump with a best of 17.35m, two centimetres ahead of Sweden's Olympic champion Christian Olsson.

Tero Pitkamaki of Finland claimed top podium spot in the javelin with 88.78m.

It was a good night on the track for American women, with victories for Stephanie Durst, Sanya Richards and Michelle Perry.

Durst won the 100m in 11.22sec ahead of Jamaican Sheri-Ann Brooks and Cydonie Mothersill of Cayman Islands. Perry won the 100m hurdles in 12.70.

Richards, who shared the Golden League jackpot last season with Powell and compatriot Jeremy Wariner, was untroubled as she strolled to victory in the 400m in a season's best of 50.26sec and, injuries notwithstanding, looks a good bet to go the distance this season.