DANIEL KOMEN, a 20 year old who failed to qualify for the Atlanta Olympics, is threatening to put his name in the record books in the next fortnight after taking the grand prix circuit by storm in the last few days.

After running the second fastest 3,000 metres ever in Monaco at the weekend, the tall Kenyan became the second fastest 5,000 runner in history in Zurich on Wednesday, defeating the world record holder in the process.

The former double world junior champion was due to head to Germany yesterday looking for another top class performance at tonight's Cologne grand prix before further world record breaking attempts at lucrative meetings in Brussels and Berlin.

Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, who set the world record of 12 minutes 44.39 seconds on the same Zurich track last year, had to play second fiddle to Komen in one of the greatest 5,000 races in history.

With the race roaring along at world record pace, the smooth running Komen refused to step aside to let Gebrselassie take centre stage in an intense last two laps and won the sprint finish to clock 12:45.09.

"It's great to beat Haile," Komen said. "It gives me great satisfaction after missing Atlanta. I still want to break a world record. Next time I'll try in the 3,000, but the 5,000 is still my favourite."

Komen, like Olympic 10,000m champion Gebrselassie, is a versatile runner who is a major threat a variety of distance events.

The former junior high jumper and soccer goalkeeper failed to clinch a place in the strongest distance team in Atlanta at the Kenyan trials. But he is burning up the tracks now.

He is scheduled to run the 1,500m or 3,000m at Cologne's meeting, before having another serious crack at the 3,000m and 5,000m records at this month's Brussels and Berlin meetings, the climax to the lucrative Golden Four series.

Komen admitted in Monte Carlo that he had not even been trying to get the 3,000m best and, understandably, seemed slightly nervous with the usually fast finishing Gebrselassie on his tail in Zurich.

As expected, Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan will take no part in tonight's meeting. She was officially withdrawn from the meeting yesterday. O'Sullivan has been unable to compete since she was struck by illness at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. It is believed that she has targeted the Berlin meeting on August 30th for her comeback race.