Kenyan Runs 2 Miles In World-Record Time

For a world-record time, the timing was wrong.

Kenya’s Daniel Komen pulverized the 8-minute barrier in the 2-mile run Saturday, setting a world mark of 7 minutes, 58.61 seconds in the Hechtel Night of track in Brussels, Belgium.

It cut 2.47 seconds off the mark set by Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie during the much-publicized May 31 meet, when $1 million was offered to any runner breaking the 8-minute barrier.

Komen wasn’t invited to that meet, and breaking the barrier in the small meet in eastern Belgium was worth only a modest $50,000 bonus.

But it was sweet revenge nonetheless as Komen regained the mark he’d lost to Gebrselassie, who held the record at 8:01.08.

This record shaved almost 5 seconds off Komen’s previous best of last year over the rarely run distance. Already the holder of the 3,000-meter record, Komen said he would chase more records after going for gold in the 5,000 in Greece.

Carl Lewis plans to say goodbye to track in an exhibition relay on his home track at Robertson Stadium in Houston this fall.

It’s been no secret that Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals, would retire at the end of this track season. He turned 36 on July 1.

On Sept. 13, Lewis will run a relay with longtime runningmates Leroy Burrell, Mike Marsh and Floyd Heard either in pregame or halftime festivities of the Pitt-Houston football game.