Doha, May 16 (IANS): American sprinter Allyson Felix caught the spotlight at the 2015 Diamond League opener here as she dashed to a meet record of 21.98 seconds to win the 200 meters race, equalling the League record set by Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown in 2010.
In the men's 3,000m race Mo Farah of Britain lost to Hagos Gebrhiwet of Djibouti.
It was the 12th time for Felix to set her foot on the Qatar Sport Club track and the 29-year-old claimed her 11th title on Friday, reports Xinhua.
Felix's winning time also shattered the relatively modest meet record of 22.35 seconds set by Ionela Tirlea-Manolache of Romania back in 1999.
"I feel strong and the speed is good. It is so good to be healthy. I am now looking forward to the next competition, the World Championships in August. Doha is always a special place for me," she said.
Murielle Ahoure of Cote D'Ivoire, who grabbed two silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, finished second in 22.29 seconds, a mark which is 0.05 seconds slower than her career best. Bahamas' Anthonique Strachan finished third in 22.69 seconds.
Hot favourite in men's 3,000m race, two-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, lost to Hagos Gebrhiwet, the 2013 World Championships silver medallist at 5000m and winner of the 3,000m in Doha that year.
The Ethiopian held off a late surge to win in 7:38.08 minutes. Farah failed to cover his rival's move just before the bell and he had to come from a long way back but just came up short when finishing second in 7:38.22 minutes.
There were no fewer than 11 world leading marks in Doha on Friday and five meeting records, in addition to the three IAAF Diamond League standards.
Among the other highlights was Tero Pitkamaki's last-round throw of 88.62m to win the javelin.
The 2007 world champion was languishing down in fifth place prior to the last round. But then she dramatically defeated a field that included Olympic champion Kershorn Walcott and world champion Vitezslav Vesely, who finished eighth and third respectively.
Croatia's reigning world and Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic snatched another overwhelming victory to win the discus. The 24-year-old, a three-time European champion and winner of Diamond Race in each of the past three years, hurled 68.10m in the fourth round to clinch the title.
Australia's Dani Samuels, the gold medallist at the 2009 IAAF World Championships who improved her personal best to 67.99m last year, finished third thanks to her second round attempt at 64.45m.
In the men's 400m hurdle, the 32-year-old Bershawn Jackson of the United States clocked a world leading 48.09 seconds to win the event with a new meet record.
Javier Culson of Puerto Rico, the Diamond League Race winner in 2012 and 2013, finished a distant second in 48.96 seconds while Irishman Thomas Barr finished third in 48.99 seconds.
Jackson's winning mark beat the 48.11 seconds meet record set by Lj Van Zyl of South Africa in 2011. And Zyl only managed a lacklustre 49.52 seconds to finish sixth.
American veteran Justin Gatlin renewed his personal best in the men's 100m with a meeting record of 9.74 seconds.
Starting from the third lane, Gatlin's reaction time of 0.161 seconds was the second slowest among the eight sprinters. But he managed to build a formidable midway lead before dashing home in style to ignite the packed stands in the Qatar Sports Club.
Gatlin's countryman Michael Rodgers finished second in 9.96 seconds while Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago took the third place in 10.01 seconds.
Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman was a delighted winner of the men's 800m in 1:43.78 minutes. He confounded most pundits who had been predicting the race to be decided between Ethiopia's world champion Mohammed Aman and Kenya's world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop.
Also on Friday, Cuba's Pedro Pablo Pichardo won the men's triple jump in a world leading 18.06m, while another hot favourite, American Christian Taylor, trailed in 18.04m.
Ethiopia's Dawit Seyaum won the women's 1500m in a world leading 4:00.96 minutes.