Kenyan Shatters Steeplechase Mark

Kenya’s Moses Kiptanui set the world record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and lost another Wednesday night when Ethiopia’s Haile Gebreselassie shattered his world mark in the 5,000 meters at the Weltklasse meet.

Meanwhile, Olympic champion Linford Christie, shrugging off a leg injury, won the 100 meters, Michael Johnson won his 47th consecutive 400 race and Algerian Noureddine Morceli fell short in his bid to break the world mile record.

In clocking 12 minutes, 44.39 seconds, Gebreselassie lowered Kiptanui’s previous mark of 12:55.30 by nearly 11 seconds.

Gebreselassie’s countryman, Worku Bikila, took him through a fast 3,400 meters before letting him run the final 1,600 meters on his own. And he was up to the task, winning by more than 17 seconds over runner-up Dieter Baumann, who set a German record of 13:01.72.

“Two months ago, when Kiptanui broke my record, I was worried,” Gebreselassie said. “Today, I took my record back.”

The world record came about 90 minutes after Kiptanui had become the first man to break 8 minutes for the steeplechase, clocking 7:59.18.

He had set the previous record of 8:02.08 in this meet in 1992.

The brilliant run by the 23-year-old Kenyan gave the three-time world champion the four fastest times in history. Kiptanui said he probably could have broken the world record in last week’s World Championships at Goteborg, Sweden, but coming into the final 400 meters he had such a comfortable lead that he wanted to save his best performance for Zurich.

Again, he made it look easy in leading a sweep of the first five places by Kenyans.

“I have planned this world record since 1992,” Kiptanui said. “To be the first man under 8 minutes is more important for me than winning the gold medal at the World Championships.”

About losing his 5,000 record, he said, “I’ll get it back.”

The 35-year-old Christie had injured his left leg during the 100 semifinals at the World Championships, then aggravated it while finishing sixth in the final. He was considered doubtful Wednesday.

He didn’t decide until Tuesday, after a workout at Lezigrund Stadium, that he would compete.

He competed remarkably well, drubbing a field that included the 1-2-3 finishers at the World Championships.

Christie was timed in 10.03, his season’s best, in beating world champion Donovan Bailey of Canada by nearly a meter.

Johnson, the world’s dominant long sprinter, continued his remarkable six-year winning streak in the 400, making his usual powerful move down the stretch and winning in 43.89.

Morceli, attempting to crack his mile record of 3:44.39, settled for a stadium record of 3:45.19, the fastest in the world this year.

Meanwhile, unheralded American Mark Crear won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.18.

Other world champions had varying success:

Five-time world champion and world record-holder Sergei Bubka of Ukraine won the pole vault with a stadium-record 19 feet, 4-1/4 inches.

Gwen Torrence finished first in the women’s 200, staying in the middle of the track in winning in 21.98.

Mozambique’s Maria Mutola won the women’s 800 in 1:55.93, the year’s fastest time.

Troy Kemp of the Bahamas won the high jump at 7-6-1/2.

Gail Devers and Olga Shishigi na again finished 1-2 in the women’s 100 hurdles, with the American winning in 12.75, .07 seconds ahead of her Kazakhstan rival.

American Tonja Buford set a stadium record in the 400 hurdles in winning in 52.90.

Cuba’s Ivan Pedroso, the world champion, won the men’s long jump at 28-2-3/4. American Derrick Adkins, another world champion, won the men’s 400 hurdles at 47.65.