World 2 Mile best for Kenenisa Bekele in Birmingham (© Getty Images)
Birmingham, UKAs habits go, this is a what you would call a good one. For the third time in five years Kenenisa Bekele graced the Norwich Union Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham this afternoon by taking one of Haile Gebrsalassie’s World records/bests.
In 2004 it was the 5000m and last year the 2000m. But today the World and Olympic 10,000m champion broke the Two Mile best set here by Gebrselassie in 2003, a mark that Bekele himself missed by just 0.43s in 2006.
Chasing 8:04.69, Bekele stopped the clock at 8:04.35 OFFICIAL TIME - NOTE: this is a correction from original time of 8:04:34 reported by our correspondent on the night - to claim his $US30,000 reward after shrugging off the challenge of steeplechaser Paul Koech with a 29.74 last 200m. “It’s great here in Birmingham,” he said. “It was not easy today but I knew I could do it. Paul was very close but I knew I had a fast finish in me.”
Koech did what most fail to do when racing the Ethiopian and chased Bekele almost all the way to the line. He was rewarded with a Kenyan record of 8:06.48. There were PBs for Abraham Chebii of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Bekama Daba in third and fifth and a Swedish record of 8:36.74 for Erik Sjoqvist in eighth.
Mo Farah, chasing John Mayock’s British record of 8:17.06, had to be satisfied with a PB of 8:20.95 in sixth place. Still, he did pass 3000m in 7:46.0, a qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
When Bekele attacked this record in Birmingham two years ago he was foiled by a slow first half of 4:05.2. This time there was no mistake. After a first 1000m in 2:29.56 led by the Argentinian Javier Carriqueo, Bekele was pulled through 1600m in 4:00.58 by his compatriot Bikila Demma.
With Koech on his tail, he then sped through 2k in 5:00.61, three seconds up on Geb’s pace before slowing from 2400m to 2800m. At the bell the clock read 7:34.60, meaning Bekele needed a sub-30s last lap.
But the Ethiopian is not the greatest distance runner in the world for nothing. For the first time in the race he opened a gap on Koech as he unleashed his famous finishing speed down the back straight before flying round the bend and across the line.
Bekele said afterwards he is still undecided whether to defend his World Indoor 3000m title in Valencia as well as run at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh next month. But a quick look at the 3k splits may make up his mind. He was timed officially at 7:34.6 for 3000m, third only to his brother Tariku and Craig Mottram’s Oceania record on this year’s world lists.
In Defar’s absence, Burka cruises
The NIA may have been deprived of another two mile best when Meseret Defar pulled out of the meeting with food poisoning on Thursday night. But the organisers simply switched the event to 3000m and Gelete Burka took advantage, powering to 8:31.94, third in the world this year and seventh quickest of all time.
So dominant was Burka that she won by almost 15 seconds from Portugal’s Jessica Augusto as six of the eight finishers clocked PBs.
Burka also passed the 1500m mark in 4:11.1 on her way to breaking Berhane Adere’s stadium record from 2003 and the British all comers’ record shared by Adere and Gabriela Szabo. Middle distance runners beware, for Burka said afterwards that 1500m is the distance she’ll run in Valencia.
Besides Bekele and Burka’s efforts, there was more great distance running from Richard Kiplagat and Bernard Lagat.
Lagat, Kiplagat dominate middle distances
Kiplagat opened the meeting by running the third fastest 800m time in the world this year, 1:46.33, pulling a string of other runners to a PB, including Josef Repcik of Slovakia, 1:47.06, and Damien Moss of Britain, 1:47.32, both inside the Valencia qualifying standard.
“I didn’t expect it to be that quick. I might have to talk to my coach about my plans,” said the surprised Kiplagat afterwards.
Then Lagat set the second quickest 1500m time of 2008 with a comfortable victory in 3:35.22, a second outside Daniel K Komen’s two-year-old stadium record.
Canadian national 400m record for Christoper
Tyler Christopher went one better than that. The 24-year-old 400m runner opened his indoor career by smashing the Canadian record and setting the quickest time in the world this year, 45.80.
“This is the type of fitness I am in at the moment,” said Christopher, who took the lead at 200m and led home Chris Lloyd who also set a national record for Dominica. Lloyd finished second in 46.02, while Britain’s Richard Buck continued his improvement, setting his fourth PB of the season with 46.34.
Susanna Kallur didn’t improve this time, but after the toils of world record breaking last weekend she arrived in Birmingham with “sore muscles”. They didn’t slow her down too much, however, for the Swede ran 7.75 to beat Kellie Wells of USA.
“I am a little more tired this week than I have been before,’ said Kallur. “But I wanted to run well here because I love this track and this stadium.”
Wells clocked 8.05 in second with Britain’s Sarah Claxton improved her best of the year to 8.07 in third.
Kluft edges Sotherton in three-event challenge
Carolina Kluft maintained her five-year multi-event winning streak in the day’s three-event challenge, but only just. Leading after the long jump and 60m hurdles, Kluft needed all her fighting spirit in the 400m to finish just 18 points ahead of Britain’s Kelly Sotherton who almost notched up a famous victory with two superb PBs.
Kluft won the long jump with 6.42m just 2cm further than the Czech Denisa Scerbova who ended up third overall, while Sotherton produced a modest 6.27m. Then Sotherton shaved 0.02s from her hurdles best with 8.17, with Kluft third third in 8.25, before scorching through the 400m in 52.47, way inside her previous best of 54.14, the fastest by any Briton this year, and the eighth fastest on the British all-time list.
But Kluft, who needed to be within 0.9s of Sotherton to win the competition, chased her hard and also broke her PB as ashe crossed the line second with 52.98. “Kelly ran a wonderful race and I just had to keep up with her,” said Kluft. “It was hard but a great race for both of us. The fitness is coming but I need some technical improvements.”
“If I’d had a half decent long jump I could have won,” said Sotherton, who had aimed to break 52.00 in the final event. “I think I showed that win, lose or draw I will always come out fighting.”
Ndure, Williams take the sprints
There was some excellent sprinting in the 60m, especially from Jaysuma Saidy Ndure who set a Norwegian record in the men’s event. Saidy Ndure beat Britain’s Simeon Williamson and Michael Rogers of USA by 0.01s to win in 6.56.
The Norwegian started the meeting with a best of 6.71, but he smashed that in the heats with 6.58 as double European sprint champion Frances Obikwelu, a 6.54 man at his best, trailed home in seventh in 6.75. Saidy Ndure now ranks equal third in the world.
The women’s 60m was given to Angela Williams as the American cr4ossed the line level with Belgium’s European champion Kim Gevaert. Both were timed at 7.15.
Britain’s Jeanette Kwakye, who was third in 7.20, had clocked 7.16 to beat Gevaert in the heats. That was a PB, the third quickest time in the world, the second quickest ever by a Briton, and just 0.03 outside Bev Kinch’s national record.
World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu was seventh in that race in 7.45, just 0.06 outside her lifetime best. She went on to contest the 200m where she was just beaten by her compatriot Joice Maduaka, both running PBs, 23.37 and 23.41.
Jenny Meadows made it three wins out of three this year as she won the women’s 800m in 2:00.74, her fastest of the year and David Oliver of the USA recovered from a bad start to win the 60m hurdles in 7.55, a personal best, 0.04s ahead of Britain’s Allan Scott.
Stefan Holm won the men’s High Jump, the best three low key field events. The Swedish Olympic champion got the better of a two-man contest with Samson Oni, clearing 2.31 to the Briton’s 2.26.
Phillips Idowu won the men’s Triple Jump with 17.21m while Alex Straub was the only pole vaulter to clear 5.75m, a lifetime best for the German.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
