WHEN Haile Gebrselassie said 18 months ago that Kenenisa Bekele could eventually break his 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records, he probably suspected more than he was prepared to admit — that his Ethiopian countryman may one day be even greater than him. The strongest evidence yet was put forward by Bekele last night at a grand-prix meeting in Hengelo, the Netherlands, where he broke Gebrselassie ’s 5,000 metres world record.

Bekele recorded 12min 37.35sec, running the last half of the race alone, to chop 2.01sec off the mark that Gebrselassie set in Helsinki six years ago. Gebrselassie is arguably the greatest athlete of all time, and certainly the best distance runner, with his two Olympic 10,000 metres gold medals, four world titles, and 17 world records. Bekele, though, is ahead of Gebrselassie’s achievements at the same age.

How appropriate that Bekele should have set his first outdoor world record in Hengelo, where Gebrselassie set his ten years ago over the same distance. Critically, though, when the day comes to compare their careers, Bekele is an all-terrain success. Two months ago, at 21, he completed a barely believable hat-trick of long and short-course victories at the World Cross Country Championships. Gebrselassie gave up cross country after several failed attempts.

Now, still two weeks short of his 22nd birthday, Bekele has shown stunning 5,000 metres speed and endurance. Think of it this way: 12½ laps at a fraction over 60 seconds each. This to complement his victory over 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris last year and his 5,000 metres world indoor record. Bekele is to run 10,000 metres in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, next Tuesday.

From a British perspective, the meeting produced Olympic qualifying times for Jo Pavey, in the women’s 5,000 metres, and for Mike East, in the men’s 1,500 metres. At this low point in British men’s high jumping, Martyn Bernard offered hope that soon he may be an international medal prospect.

Bernard, 19, won by 25 centimetres, jumping 2:27 and adding six centimetres to his personal best. It was the first clear evidence of the benefits of his decision in the autumn to leave home in Wakefield to team up with Mike Holmes, a Liverpool coach. Holmes steered Steve Smith to an Olympic bronze medal in 1996.

Bernard, who entered the competition with the bar at 2:10 after Darryl Stone, the runner-up, had gone out at 2:02, achieved the B qualifying standard for the Athens Olympics in August, but declined the chance to try for the A height of 2:30. “My hamstring was a bit dodgy and there are plenty of other competitions,” he said.

Since Smith’s career was cut short through injury in 2000, Ben Challenger has failed to fulfil his potential and, with Dalton Grant, at 37, not so springy as he was, Britain did not have a representative at the World Championships last year. “I mean business,” Bernard said. “I left my family because I want to get to the Olympics and be a winner.”

THE PROGRESSION

EVOLUTION OF THE MEN’S 5,000 METRES WORLD RECORD

13min 12.86sec D Quax (NZ) 5.7.77
13.08.4 H Rono (Ken) 8.4.78
13:06.20 Rono 13.9.81
13:00.41 D Moorcroft (GB) 7.7.82
13:00.40 S Aouita (Mor) 27.7.85
12:58.39 Aouita 22.7.87
12:56.96 H Gebrselassie (Eth) 4.6.94
12:55.30 M Kiptanui (Ken) 8.6.95
12:44.39 Gebrselassie 16.8.95
12:41.86 Gebrselassie 13.8.97
12:39.74 D Komen (Ken) 22.8.97
12:39.36 Gebrselassie 13.6.98
12.37.35 K Bekele (Eth) 31.5.04