GERMANY: Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia set a world record time for the marathon in Berlin

Gebrselassie, 34, bettered the mark of 2:04:55 set by Kenya's Paul Tergat in Berlin on September 28, 2003. Gebrselassie was clocked in an official time of two hours four minutes and 26 seconds to eclipse the record of 2:04.55 that his friend Tergat had set on the same flat and fast Berlin course in 2003. Gebrselassie, 34, swept through the streets of the German capital, helped by ideal weather conditions for a marathon and enthusiastic crowds of more than a million spectators that lined the 42-kilometre course to cheer him and the 40,000 competitors. Weather conditions were ideal for Gebrselassie with very little wind and overcast skies for most of the race. The sun broke through the clouds towards the end of the race, bringing the temperature up to 16 Celcius (60 F). Gebrselassie had won the Olympic 10,000 metres gold medal in both 1996 and 2000, narrowly beating Tergat both times in memorable races. Less than ten minutes after breaking the world marathon record on Sunday, Gebrselassie was handed a cell phone -- it was Paul Tergat calling from Kenya to offer his congratulations. "I'm sorry," Gebrselassie told his great rival and long-time friend after winning the Berlin marathon in 2 hours four minutes 26 seconds and shattering Tergat's record by 29 seconds set on the same course in 2003. But Tergat, who was nipped for the gold medal in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics by Gebrselassie in two classic 10,000 metres battles, would have none of it, and told Gebrselassie he was delighted for him for breaking his four-year-old record. "I am sorry -- this record belonged to Paul Tergat," Gebrselassie told a news conference when asked about the phone call from great rival. "Paul is my friend." The weather forecast turned out to be accurate -- the rain stopped before the race, temperatures at the start were around 13 degrees Celsius, there was only a little wind, and skies remained overcast until late in the race. Gebrselassie said, however, it was more than just the ideal weather and the flat course that carried him to the record. "A big part of it is the spectators -- I would say 60 to 70 percent is due to the spectators," he said. "It's just everything in Berlin. The course is perfect.

ITN Source | October 1, 2007

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