February 11, 2008	Monday	Safar 03, 1429

VALENCIA (Spain), Feb 10: Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele believes that his attempt to add to his multitude of world records and break the indoor 3,000-metre mark was bizarrely sabotaged by wind inside the arena here on Saturday.

Bekele ran seven minutes 36.08 seconds, more than 11 seconds outside his target of the 10-year-old mark of 7:24.90 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen.

Bekele’s feeling that the venue which will stage next month’s World Indoor Championships was actually open to the chilly evening elements was confirmed by several other runners in the race including Kenya’s Timothy Kiptanui.

Bekele was over two seconds outside Komen’s world record pace at 2km and, at the front with three other runners still on his tail, stepped off the accelerator for several laps before sprinting away from his rivals with just over 200 metres to go.

Mekonen Gebremedhin went virtually unnoticed at last summer’s World Championships, when Bekele won the 10,000 metres gold medal, after he failed to progress beyond the semi-finals of the 1,500 metres.

However, the 19-year-old produced the fastest time in the world this year in the blue riband distance with a run of 3:36.63.

Gebremedhin run was one of three performances which topped the 2008 lists.

Nigerian sprinter Olusoji Fasuba, the 2007 African Games winner over 100 metres last summer, sped to the world’s fastest time of the year in the indoor discipline of 60 metres.

Fasuba turned on the power over the second half of the race to stop the clock at a swift 6.50 seconds.

Ethiopia’s Meselech Melkamu added to the plethora of outstanding performances when she won the women’s 3,000 metres in 8:29.48, the second fastest time in the world this year.

Leading results:Men’s:

60 metres: 1. Olusoji Fasuba (NGR) 6.51 seconds; 2. Simone Collio (ITA) 6.55; 3. Lukasz Chyla (POL) 6.64.

400 metres: 1. Johan Wissman (SWE) 46.37 seconds; 2. Alleyne Francique (GRN) 46.98; 3. Nery Brenes (CRC) 46.99.800 metres: 1. Wilfred Bungei (KEN) 1:47.22; 2. Dmitrijs Milkevics (LAT) 1:47.30; 3. Abraham Chepkirwok (UGA) 1:48.03.1500 metres: 1. Mekonen Gebremedhin (ETH) 3:36.63; 2. Juan Carlos Higuero (ESP) 3:37.46; 3. Ali Bilal Mansour (BRN) 3:37.90.

3000 metres: 1. Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 7:36.08; 2. Edwin Soi (KEN) 7:36.70; 3. Tariku Bekele (ETH) 7:37.09.

Long jump: 1. Irving Saladino (PAN) 8.20 metres; 2. Rogerio Bispo (BRA) 7.88; 3. Tareq Bougtaib (MAR) 7.87.

Women’s:

3000 metres: 1. Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 8:29.48; 2. Meryem Alaoui Selsouli (MAR) 8:35.86; 3. Jessica Augusto (POR) 8:55.18.

Pole vault: 1. Monika Pyrek (POL) 4.61 metres; 2. Silke Spielgelburg (GER) 4.51; 3. Juila H|tter (GER) 4.41.

Long jump: 1. Naide Gomes (POR) 6.90 metres; 2. Maurren Higa Maggi (BRA) 6.76;3. Concepcion Montaner Coll (ESP) 6.66.—AFP