The only man to have thrown further is Jan Zelezny, with the Czech Republic star's world record of 98.48m coming in 1996 in Jena, which happens to be Rohler’s birthplace.

Zelezny also has five throws of over 94m to his credit, the last of which, 94.02m, came in March 1997.

It was a stupendous flourish from the 25-year-old German, whose previous personal best was 91.28m, and it registered not only a 2017 world-leading mark, but a meeting, Diamond League and national record.

Rohler, who has had a week of success given that his jokey javelin video with friends has gone viral, appeared understandably dazed by his achievement. 

“I did not see that coming, I did not expect that in the first start to the season," he said.

“I’m second best, ever. 

"It will take some days to realise that.

“It was an amazing competition for all of us. 

“We had a good training camp this year; it was early so we did a lot of fast training on the grass.”

The remaining places in the top three were filled by Johannes Vetter, who's best throw landed at 89.68m, while Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch was third with 87.91m.

Home favourite Mutaz Essa Barshim also got his campaign off to a soaring start as he finished five centimetres clear of his nearest challenger, Great Britain's Robert Grabarz, to win the men’s high jump with 2.36m – the best height registered in the season so far.

This performance in the Qatari Sports Club arena served notice that the mark of 2.45m set by Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor in 1993 could be under renewed pressure this year.

But Barshim made it clear that he intends to pace himself carefully in a season that leads to the IAAF World Championships in London before the two Diamond League finals in Zurich and Brussels which have been re-weighted this year to provide the series with a dramatic climax.

“We come here for two targets,” he said.

"The win and the lead. 

"I got that so I do not want to exhaust myself – I will be in Shanghai in five days’ time.”

The big rivalry of the night – Olympic versus world women’s 200m champion – went to the former as Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson won in 22.19sec, with Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, silver medallist at Rio 2016, clocking 22.45.

Ethiopia’s world 1,500m record holder Genzebe Dibaba, making her debut at 800m, found herself jumping in at the deep end as she finished fifth in 1 min 59.37sec in a race where South Africa’s Olympic champion Caster Semenya re-stated her dominance of the event with victory in 1:56.61, the fastest time run so far this season.

Akine Simbine of South Africa was an unexpected winner in 9.99sec of a men’s 100m that contained Jamaica’s former world record holder Asafa Powell, who came second in 10.08, while Qatar's Femi Ogunode claimed third place with a time of 10.13.

Olympic silver medallist Justin Gatlin of the United States came fourth while Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who got a bronze in the race at Rio 2016, finished fifth.

Steven Gardiner, the 21-year-old rising 400m force from The Bahamas, earned a morale-boosting win over former world and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt from US, clocking 44.60.

World record holder Kendra Harrison won the women's 100m hurdles with ease, although a headwind prevented the American from improving upon her 2017 world-leading time of 12.56 as she clocked 12.59 ahead of Germany’s European champion Cindy Roleder, who ran 12.90.

Victory came at a cost, however, as Harrison was reported by Track and Field News to have broken a bone after hitting the last hurdle.

Hyvin Kiyeng, Kenya’s world women’s 3,000m steeplechase champion, provided the event with another 2017 world-lead as she won in a meeting record of 9:00.12.

Greece’s Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi earned maximum points with a 4.80m clearance – just six centimetres shy of her personal best - ahead of US vaulter Sandi Morris, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, who reached 4.75m.

Double Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor, who achieved his first 18m jump in Doha two years ago, needed a last round effort of 17.25m to win on this occasion.

Elijah Manangoi set an early 2017 world lead in the men’s 1,500m with victory in 3:31.90 ahead of compatriot Silas Kiplagat, who clocked 3:32.23, as Kenyan athletes locked out the first six places in the race.

The programme concluded with a men’s 3,000m won in a 2017 best time of 7:28.73 by Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi.