On a day when three Caribbean World champions were defeated, Burns finished second in the men's 100-metre after he struggled to get through the semis, Ferguson McKenzie  took second in the women's race, while Ennis-London picked up second in the women's 100m hurdles event.

Burns, who holds a season's best of 10.04 seconds, clocked 10.13 for the runner-up spot after clocking 10.23 in the semi-final heat. Portugal's Olympic silver medallist and European champion Francis Obikwelu, won in a season's best 10.03.

"I am not satisfied by my time," Burns said after the race. "I was better in the semi-finals. I made a bad start and the weather conditions were difficult."

Jamaican former sprint double champion Dwight Thomas had to settle for a disappointing seventh in 10.22, after posting 10.14 earlier in the semi-final.

Ferguson McKenzie beaten in the dash

After unbeaten starts in the 100m, one of Bahamas' sprint veterans Ferguson McKenzie was pushed down to second in the women's race.

Former World Champion Torri Edwards won the race in 11.14, three hundredth of a second faster than Ferguson McKenzie, who came of ahead of Georgia Kokloni of Greece in 11.33.

Lauryn Williams, the 2005 World Champion from Helsinki could only manage a fifth place 11.39. Another Bahamian veteran Chandra Sturrup, the 2003 World 100m bronze medallist was expected to challenge the top runners, but never faced the starter's gun.

Ennis-London second in sprint obstacles

Ennis-London, the world silver medallist from Helsinki last year, ran a wind-assisted 12.81(2.3m/s) to grab second in her specialty behind Germany's Kirsten Blom, who won in 12.69.

"The air has affected my performance a lot," said Ennis-London, whose seasonal best of 12.74 makes her the second fastest from the region behind compatriot Brigitte Foster-Hylton, at 12.65.

Regional World champions beaten

The three World champions defeated at the meeting were Osleydis Menendez of Cuba, who is the World and Olympic women's Javelin Throw gold medallist, Jamaican Trecia Smith, the Triple Jump champion in Helsinki and Cuba's Zulia Calatayud, the 800m champion in Helsinki last year.

Menendez, who is also the world record holder in the Javelin Throw, was soundly beaten by the German duo of Christina Obergföll and Steffi Nerius, two throwers that she had easily defeated at last summer's World Championships.

Obergföll, the European record holder and world silver medallist, won the competition with a throw of 66.91m, which improved the 65.50m previous world best of the season. She defeated compatriot and world bronze medallist Nerius, who took second with 63.63m.

Menendez came next with a best of 62.84m for third, while previous world leader, Barbora Spotakova from the Czech Republic was fourth with 62.66m.

Sinclair, Calatayud in fast two-lapper

Another Cuban, Calatayud, who dominated the 800m all of last season on her way to winning the world title, was among nine women, including Jamaica's Kenia Sinclair who dipped under the two-minute barrier.

However, despite improving her year’s best, Calatayud finished third in 1:57.94. The race went to a former Russian 400m runner, Olga Kotlyarova in a time of 1:57.86, just ahead Ukraine's Tetyana Petlyuk -1:57.93 who nipped Calatayud at the tape.

Sinclair, who is vying for a place in the 1500m at the upcoming IAAF World Cup in Athletics competition, was fifth in 1:58.38.

The other World champion beaten in Helsinki was Jamaican triple jumper Smith, as she was no match for reigning two-time World Indoor Triple Jump champion, Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia.

Despite posting a year’s best 14.74m in the third round of the competition, the Jamaican never seemed to find the right rhythm and was lowered to fifth place. Lebedeva destroyed the field with a world-leading 15.23m final round jump.

Russian Anna Pyatykh took second with 15.17m, while Cuba's Yargelis Savigne jumped 14.91m for third place.