FOR THE second time in 48 hours the world 800 metres indoor record fell to Kenyan-born Wilson Kipketer, now a naturalised Dane, in Paris yesterday. Confessing that he decided to chase his own record only after finishing his warm-up routine, Kipketer, introduced to athletics by the Irish Christian Brother, Colm Cronin, fragmented the opposition with some of the most convincing running seen in years.

But in spite of his remarkable achievement in setting two records in quick succession, he will collect just one £30,000 bonus to go with the £30,000 he receives for winning the title.

The puny consolation was a gold-coloured running vest presented by Mita, one of the main sponsors of this, the first indoor championship to carry prize money. Long after the vest has been discarded, however, spectators in the Omnisport Centre will remember this as an awesome illustration of power coming together with pace to create a sporting masterpiece.

Now it seems as if Sebastian Coe's outdoor 800 metres record which has stood for almost 16 years as the testimony to one of the great athletes of our times, is also destined to fall to Kipketer before the summer is through.

"It was only when I came to the stadium today that I felt I could run faster than on Friday" Kipketer said. "I felt good during my warm-up, and with so many spectators cheering me in the stadium, I decided I would try for the record."

He was already on record schedule when going through the first 200 metres in 24.22 seconds, and while the expected threats from Mahjoub Haida (Morocco) and Dutchman Marko Koers never materialised, Kipketer kept his momentum and his rhythm to trim 1.2 seconds off his own short-lived record.

In an era in which our sporting heroes and heroines appear to be getting younger by the year, Yekaterina Podkopayeva and Mary Decker struck a blow against the trend by occupying the first two places in the women's 1500 metres championship.

Decker, at 37, has already posted the fastest time of the season at the distance, but in the event she was upstaged by the Russian, 45 in June and the proud mother of a 16-year-old son.

After leading from the off, Decker was stunned to be caught almost on the line as Podkopayeva wound herself up for the big finish which many reckoned had long since left the ageing legs of the Russian.

Decker, whose 1983 world championship win in Helsinki survives as the only major championship triumph of her controversial career, was not the only one surprised by her old rival's renaissance.

In 14 appearances last year, Podkopayeva won only once. Moreover, she had lost all four of her indoor races this season. The statistic looked grotesque as she came powering through in the last 20 metres yesterday.

"Right now, I'm ready to state that this is the biggest victory of my career," she said. "Tomorrow, I may see the world in a different colour, but today it's definitely pink."

On Saturday, Hitcham El Guerroudj claimed the 1500 metres championship record which Marcus O'Sullivan had held for six years, and yesterday a second Irish landmark was eclipsed when Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia smashed Frank O'Mara's 3,000 metres record with a time of seven minutes 34.72 seconds.

At one point it looked as if Gebrselassie was on schedule for a world best as well, but with celebrated athletes of the stature of Moses Kiptanui, Paul Bitok and Gennaro Di Napoli stretched out in the distant pursuit, the challenge of running it solo proved too much, even for an athlete of Gcbrselassic's enormous talent.

Britain's hopes of gold were broken when Jamie Baulch, fastest in the world by some way in the 400 metres this season, was reined in by the long, relentless stride of the Nigerian, Sunday Bada.

Baulch, with fashionable dreadlocks bouncing on his head, was caught off the last bend by Bada, second in this event in 1993 and again the silver medallist in Barcelona two years ago.

The Cuban, Anier Garcia survived a bad patch at the fifth and sixth hurdles, to hold off Welshman Colin Jackson for the gold medal in the 60 metres hurdles, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique showed that she has lost little of her renowned power by surviving the renewed challenges of Natalya Dukhnova and Joetta Clark in an exciting finish to the women's 800 metres championship.

Even with some of their big-name stars choosing to stay at home, America dominated many of the events, with the high jump success of the Olympic champion, Charlie Austin, the highlight of their three gold medals yesterday.