Asafa Powell ran the fastest time of this world championships season on Thursday, winning the 100 meters in 9.78 seconds at Athletissima.

Powell's sprint, powered by a strong start on a cool, blustery night, was 0.01 faster than the now-injured Tyson Gay managed on June 4 at Clermont, Florida.

"It was a fantastic race. I was very confident actually that I was going to run good," said the 28-year-old Jamaican.

Powell also was 0.13 quicker than Usain Bolt's season best, set at the Rome Diamond League meet last month when Powell was second.

Two months ahead of the worlds in Daegu, South Korea, Powell said he was not thinking of the biggest barrier to his first major individual gold medal.

"It's not really a message to anybody - it's just for me," said Powell, who held the world record for three years until Bolt's devastating breakthrough in 2008.

Smiling broadly, Powell said with seeming unintended irony that he's reaching his best form "slowly but surely."

"It will get better and better as the season goes on," said Powell, who has Bolt's 9.58 world record to aim for. "9.6 is in my range."

Powell, aided by a following wind of 1.0 meters per second, required a few more gusts to threaten his career-best 9.72 set here in September 2008.

"The track must love me," said Powell, who pulled Jamaican teammate Michael Frater to a personal best of 9.88 in second. Third-placed Christophe Lemaitre equalled his French record of 9.95.

Powell was the undoubted star of the Diamond League event, as 800 world record-holder David Rudisha won, by his remarkable standards, in a relatively sedate 1 minute, 44.15 seconds, and Blanka Vlasic sustained another surprise loss in the high jump.

Rudisha raises hopes of lowering his 1:41.01 mark every time he runs, and he was paced through the first lap in under 50 seconds.

The 22-year-old Kenyan, in his second race following a left ankle injury, took over with 300 to go though never extended his 10-meter lead.

Rudisha's lack of sharpness showed in the straightaway and runner-up Marcin Lewandowski, the European champion from Poland, was closing at the line.

Vlasic was expected to deliver her 100th competitive leap of at least two meters. However, the Croatian world champion cleared only 1.90 - at the third try - as Ukraine's Anna Chicherova won at 1.95.

"I had problems with my knee and ankle and today was so cold, so it didn't help," said Vlasic, who also lost in rainy, windy New York this month.

A second world season-leading performance was delivered by Frenchman Teddy Tamgho in the triple jump.

Tamgho leaped 17.91 meters, an Athletissima record, to rouse the crowd minutes after Powell ran.

Olympic and world champion Andreas Thorkildsen won the javelin to announce his return to form after being sidelined by a groin injury.

Thorkildsen's opening throw of 88.19 meters was just three centimeters off the world season-best.

"Im baaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!," the big Norwegian posted on Twitter minutes later.

American Morgan Uceny won the 1,500 in 4:05.52, almost a half-second ahead of Ukrainian Anna Mishchenko.

A controversial third place was taken by France's Hind Dehiba, who won a local court ruling on Monday to run despite her 2007-09 ban after testing positive for EPO. Athletissima is part of a European meetings agreement to bar athletes who have received two-year doping suspensions.

Caster Semenya, the 800 world champion from South Africa, placed 13th, trailing Uceny by more than 10 seconds.

In the 400, world champion Sanya Richards-Ross ran her season's best, 50.61 seconds, to finish runner-up behind Amantle Montsho of Botswana, who timed 50.23. Richards-Ross is working her way back after a 2010 campaign that was wrecked by a series of injuries.

Two American world champions, Brittney Reese and Christian Cantwell, registered victories.

Reese won the long jump with a leap of 6.85 meters, and Cantwell took shot put honors with a third-round effort of 21.83 meters.

Sally Pearson edged Danielle Carruthers of the United States in a photo finish for the 100 hurdles. The Australian winner's 12.47 time was ruled illegal by a 3.3-meter following wind.

In a windy corner of Pontaise Stadium, Renaud Lavillenie of France cleared 5.83 to win the pole vault.

Kenya's Vincent Kiprop Chepkok won the 5,000 in 12:59.13. Britain's David Greene won the 400 hurdles as world champion Kerron Clement of the U.S. trailed in fifth.

Continuing her Diamond League domination, Milcah Chemos of Kenya got her fourth women's 3,000 steeplechase victory in 9:19.87.

Cuba's Yarelis Barrios won the women's discus, and Mariya Ryemyen of Ukraine timed 22.85 to win the 200.

In non-Diamond League events, Olympic champion Dayron Robles won the 110 hurdles in 13.12 seconds, and Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzalez clocked 45.27 winning the 400.