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BIRMINGHAM (England), Feb 22: Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie and Russian pole vaulter Svetlana Feofanova lit up the Birmingham Grand Prix with two world records falling on Friday.
Gebrselassie smashed the world indoor two-mile record by over five seconds while Feofanova increased her own best mark by one centimetre to 4.77 metres.
The 29-year-old four-time world and double Olympic champion was roared on by a capacity crowd, including 200 members of the Ethiopian Community in Britain, which runs a fan club for the African country’s most famous sporting son.
Feofanova went higher indoors than any woman before.
The 22-year-old European outdoor champion earned a $50,000 bonus from the event sponsors for her efforts, but the Russian failed in two attempts to leap 4.82m, which would have been the highest ever mark achieved by a woman, indoors or outdoors.
Both Gebrselassie and Feofanova earned standing ovations but Briton Colin Jackson received the biggest reception of the night in his last ever Grand Prix before retiring next month.
The 36-year-old former world 110m hurdles champion breezed to victory in 7.51 seconds.
Leading results:
MEN
60 metres 1. Jason Gardener (Britain) 6.49 seconds; 2. Ramon Clay (U.S.) 6.57; 3. Mark Lewis-Francis (Britain) 6.59
60 metres hurdles 1. Colin Jackson (Britain) 7.51; 2. Duane Ross (U.S.) 7.57; 3. Shaun Bownes (U.S.) 7.72
200 metres 1. Marlon Devonish (Britain) 20.51; 2. Darren Campbell (Britain) 20.83; 3. Christian Malcolm (Britain) 21.08
400 metres 1. Daniel Caines (Britain) 45.75; 2. Cedric van Branteghem (Belgium) 46.18; 3. Marek Plawgo (Poland) 46.39
800 metres 1. Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:45.81; 2. Bram Som (Netherlands) 1:46.06; 3. Hezekiel Sepeng (South Africa) 1:46.10
2 miles 1. Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) 8:04.69 (world record); 2. Halyu Mekkonen (Ethiopia) 8:09.39; 3. Luke Kipkoskei (Kenya) 8:16.57
Triple jump
1. Jonathan Edwards (Britain) 17.44 metres; 2. Jadel Gregorio (Brazil) 17.09; 3. Walter Davis (U.S.) 17.02
WOMEN
60 metres 1. Zhanna Block (Ukraine) 7.18 seconds; 2. Philomena Mensah (Canada) 7.25; 3. Marina Kislova (Russia) 7.26
200 metres 1. Cydonie Mothersill (Cayman Islands) 23.05; 2. Juliet Campbell (Jamaica) 23.20; 3. Nora Ivanova (Turkey) 23.42
1,000 metres 1. Jolanda Ceplak (Slovenia) 2:38.03; 2. Jo Fenn (Britain) 2:38.45; 3. Brigita Langerholc (Slovenia) 2:39.20
1,500 metres 1. Lidia Chojecka (Poland) 4:03.58; 2. Natalya Gorelova (Russia) 4:04.36; 3. Hasna Benhassi (Morocco) 4:06.72
High jump 1. Kasja Bergqvist (Sweden) 2.02 metres; 2. Marina Kuptsova (Russia) 1.99; 3. Antonella Di Martino (Italy) 1.96
Pole vault 1. Svetlana Feofanova (Russia) 4.77 (world record); 2. Tatyana Polnova (Russia) 4.40; 3. Monica Pyrek (Poland) 4.40
Triple jump 1. Ashia Hansen (Britain) 14.71; 2. Francoise Mbango (Cameroon) 14.56; 3. Yamile Aldama (Cuba) 14.54—Reuters
