Finnish javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki and American 100m hurdler Damu Cherry are no longer in the frame.

Isinbayeva cleared a 2009 world best 4.85m and Bekele (a world record holder, world and Olympic champion as well) got the best 5,000m time of the year in 12:56.23 minutes.

Richards, who is gunning for a third jackpot, ran away from her rivals on the home stretch to win the 400m in 49.46 seconds. It was her 36th career race below 50 seconds, a new record as she moved ahead of world record holder Marita Koch (47.60 seconds), an East German who had 35 sub-50-second times.

Pitkamaki's jackpot hopes ended when two-time Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway came up with a massive final throw of 87.46m to beat the Finnish world champion who had 83.68m.

Cherry was not in the hurdles field as Olympic champion Dawn Harper of the US won the race in 12.55 seconds. In the men's 110m event, Cuban world record holder and Olympic champ Dayron Robles stretched his unbeaten 2009 run to five races with first place in 13.16 seconds.

More 2009 world leading results came from world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain in the 1,500m (3:56.55) and Olympic 3,000m steeplechase gold medallist Gulnara Galkina-Samitova of Russia (9:11.58).

Dwight Philipps of the US soared a massive 8.61m for first place in the long jump. But high jump world champion Blanka Vlasic suffered her second defeat of the season, the Croatian managing only 1.97m as the Italian fans delighted in Antoinetta di Martino's 2.00m.