Thrusting two fingers high in the air while celebrating victory 30 metres out from the finish line is something track and field coaches don't teach their young athletes.

But when you're a world champion like Fred Kerley, you can be forgiven for a little showboating.

The American saluted early as he stormed down the home straight of the men's 200 metres at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on Thursday night, winning in a time of 20.32.

Australia's Rohan Browning — who later won the men's 100m — was second in 20.71, with 19-year-old countryman Aidan Murphy third in 20.76.

Kerley thrilled the healthy Lakeside Stadium crowd, although his well-received theatrics —and a slight head wind — did cost him the chance of running a rare sub 20-second 200m on Australian soil.

Not that it worried the men's world 100m champion too much, with the 27-year-old admitting the "W" is all that mattered. 

"The crowd loved it. So it's all good," Kerley told reporters at Lakeside Stadium.

Kerley is an outstanding talent, having proven to be a world-class athlete across the 100m, 200m and 400m.

He first made waves on the international scene in the 400m six years ago, before taking the bronze in the event at the 2019 world championships in Doha.

COVID-19 and the postponement of the 2020 Olympics disrupted every athlete's plans, but when the Tokyo Games were eventually held 12 months later Kerley had emerged as a threat over the 100m.

He won silver in the blue-riband sprint in Tokyo and claimed the world championship last year in Eugene.

"You know when you feel good, you do good stuff," said Kerley, who is scheduled to run the 400m at the Sydney Track Classic next month.

Among other results in the men's events at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level meet, Australia's Commonwealth Games 1,500m gold medallist Olli Hoare won the men's mile (3:52.24).

But the performance of the race came from third-placegetter Cameron Myers.

The 16-year-old Canberra school student became the second-youngest athlete in the world to break the four-minute mile, taking 12 seconds off his personal best with a time of 3:55.44, which broke a 43-year-old Australian under 20 record.

Only Norway's reigning men's Olympic 1,500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has achieved the feat at a younger age when he ran 3:58.07 in 2017.

Ingebrigtsen was nine days younger at the time than what Myers is now.

Favourites upset in long jump

Kerley was not the only US Olympian who made the trip out to Australia, with long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall competing against local favourite Brooke Buschkuehl in a much-anticipated clash.

Both made the Tokyo final in the women's long jump, with Davis-Woodhall finishing sixth, one place ahead of Buschkuehl.

But neither triumphed in Melbourne, with Buschkuehl's compatriot Samantha Dale pulling off an upset victory.

The current national champion produced a PB of 6.71m with her second jump of the evening, pipping Davis-Woodhall by two centimetres.

Buschkuehl — coming off a 2022 season that saw her finish fifth at the world championships — was third with 6.59m.

Dale, 21, appreciated the high-level competition, as she looks to secure a place in Australia's squad for August's world championships in Budapest.

"It's exciting to have her (Davis-Woodhall) over here and it is good for the sport," Dale told ABC Sport.

It was not surprising Davis-Woodhall was well below her personal best of 7.14m, given US athletes are still in their off-season.

She was going to delay her first outdoor competition of the year until next month but leapt at the chance to compete in Australia for the first time.

"I was waiting until late March to open up [outdoors] but I had this opportunity to come to Australia," Davis-Woodhall said.

"So, I didn't want to turn that one down."

Meanwhile, Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers won the women's high jump, clearing 1.93m to clinch victory.

Australian teammates Jess Hull and Michelle Jenneke also posted victories in the women's 1,500m and 100m hurdles respectively.