Sport

Kenyans set two world records

Kenya led the way at the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Brussels last night as world champion Daniel Komen set a 5,000 metres world…

Sat Aug 23 1997 - 01:00

Kenya led the way at the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Brussels last night as world champion Daniel Komen set a 5,000 metres world record and compatriot Paul Tergat shattered the 10,000 metres world mark. Komen stormed home in 12 minutes 39.74 seconds as he slashed more than two seconds off the old mark set only last week by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, who then saw his 10,000 metres mark snatched away from him by Tergat.

The 21-year-old Komen totally destroyed a world-class field, leaving his rivals struggling in his wake and finishing more than half a lap ahead of them having run the last five laps on his own.

Thomas Nyariki, another Kenyan, trailed in to take second place in a time of 13:08.78 with Morocco's Small Sghir third.

Tergat, silver medallist behind Gebrselassie at the Athens world championships, then clocked 26 minutes 27.85 seconds after running an astonishing 58-second last lap to slice 3.47 seconds off the Ethiopian's mark after fellow Kenyan Paul Koech had acted as pacemaker.

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Olympic champion and triple world champion Gebrselassie set the old record of 26:31.32 in Oslo on July 4th.

Elsewhere, in a packed evening's action, Frank Fredericks remained on course to land the Golden Four series when he won the 100 metres in 9.90 seconds.

Men:

10,000m - 1 P Tergat (Ken) 26:27.85 (world record); 2 P Koech (Ken) 26:36.26; 3 S Hissou (Mar) 27:09.07.

5,000m: - 1 D Komen (Ken) 12:39.74 (world record); 2 T Nyariki (Ken) 13:08.78; 3 S Sghir (Mar) 13:11.75.

100m: 1 F Fredericks (Nam) 9.90 secs; 2 M Greene (USA) 9.92; 3 T Montgomery (USA) 9.94.

200m: 1 J Drummond (USA) 20.03; 2 A Boldon (Tri) 20.04; 3 T Douglas (Ber) 20.30.

800m: 1 W Kipketer (Den) 1:42.20; 2 P Konchellah (Ken) 1:43.50; 3 A Hatungimana (Bur) 1:43.71.

1,500m: 1 H El Guerrouj (Mor) 3:28.92, 2 V Nyangabo (Bur) 3:29.18, 3 L Rotich (Ken) 3:30.77.

Women:

100m: 1 M Jones (USA) 10.76; 2 M Ottey (Jam) 10.83; 3 G Devers (USA) 10.96.

800m: 1 M Mutola (Moz) 1:56.45; 2 A F Quirot (Cub) 1:56.61; 3 J Miles-Clark (USA) 1:56.78.

5,000m: 1 G Szabo (Rom) 14:44.21; 2 P Radcliffe (Brit) 14:45.51; 3 S Barsosio (Ken) 14:46.71.

400m hurdles: 1 K Batten (USA) 53.61; 2 D Hemmings (Jam) 53.74; 3 T Tereschauk (Ukr) 53.88; 7 S Smith (Ire) 55.60.