HENGELO (Netherlands), May 27: Haile Gebrselassie made a low-key return to track athletics on Saturday when he finished fifth in the 10,000 metres at the 25th Fanny Blanker-Koen Games in Hengelo.

The 34-year-old Ethiopian double Olympic champion, who dominated distance running in the late 1990s and set world records on the same Henglo track, was edging his way back after switching to marathons after the 2004 Olympics.

Gebrselassie kept up with the leading group of six runners but lacked his trademark finishing speed on the final lap and finished 26 minutes, 54 seconds, six seconds behind compatriot Sileshi Sihine, who won in 26.48.

Gebrselassie registered four world records on the Dutch track between 1994 and 1998.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Wariner of the United States won the 400 metres in a stadium record 44.43 seconds.

The Olympic and world champion held off a strong challenge from Gary Kikaya, opening a lead in the final turn and then extending it in the final 50 metres. Kikaya finished second in 44.77, followed by Darold Williamson of the United States in 45.37. Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele won the two-mile (3,219-metre) race with a blistering sprint that put him more than 20 yards (metres) ahead of the other front runners, who had been close until the final lap.

The distance, which is seldom run, was scheduled partly to give Bekele an attempt at the world record. He called off those plans after a string of poor performances in recent months, which he said were due in part to an undetected knee injury.

He finished in eight minutes, 13.51 seconds, more than three seconds ahead of his nearest challenger but far behind Daniel Kipngetich's 1997 world record time of 7:58.61.

Leading results:

MEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Churandy Martina (Netherlands Antilles) 10.14 seconds; 2. Shawn Crawford (US) 10.22; 3. Marlon Devonish (Britain) 10.25.

400 metres: 1. Jeremy Wariner (US) 44.43 seconds; 2. Gary Kikaya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 44.77; 3. Darold Williamson (US) 45.37.

800 metres: 1. Abraham Chepkirwok (Uganda) one minute 45.35 seconds; 2. Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:45.46; 3. Marcin Lewandowski (Poland) 1:45.52.

10,000 metres: 1. Sileshi Sihine (Ethiopia) 26 minutes 48.74 seconds; 2. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) 26:49.02; 3. Moses Mosop (Kenya) 26:49.55.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Ryan Wilson

(US) 13.33 seconds; 2. Gregory Sedoc

(Netherlands) 13.37; 3. Andy Turner (Britain) 13.47.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Angelo Taylor (US) 49.07 seconds; 2. Kenneth Ferguson (US) 49.14; 3. Rickey Harris (US) 49.47.

3000-metre steeplechase: 1. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) eight minutes 01.05 seconds; 2. Wesley Kiprotich (Kenya) 8:16.88; 3. Abdelkader Hachlaf (Morocco) 8:17.03.

Two-mile: 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) eight minutes 13.51 seconds; 2. Edwin Soi (Kenya) 8:16.98; 3. Jonas Cheruiyot (Kenya) 8:18.02.

Long jump: 1. Irving Saladino (Panama) 8.53 metres; 2. Luis Meliz (Cuba) 8.03; 3. Brian Johnson (US) 7.97.

Pole vault: 1. Jeff Hartwig (US) 5.70 metres; 2. Tim Lobinger (Germany) 5.65; 3. Richard Spiegelburg (Germany) 5.60.

Shot put: 1. Rutger Smith (Netherlands) 20.85 metres; 2. Andrey Mikhnevich (Belarus) 20.21; 3. Garrett Johnson (US) 19.80.

WOMEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Me'Lisa Barber (US) 11.35 seconds; 2. Kim Gevaert (Belgium) 11.36; 3. Miki Barber (US) 11.41.

800 metres: 1. Marilyn Okoro (Britain) two minutes 00.70 seconds; 2. Lucia Klocova (Slovakia) 2:00.86; 3. Jenny Meadows (Britain) 2:00.96.

5000 metres: 1. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 14 minutes 38.18 seconds; 2. Florence Jebet Kiplagat (Kenya) 14:40.74; 3. Prisca Jepleting (Kenya) 14:42.00.

100-metre hurdles: 1. Nichole Denby (US) 12.88 seconds; 2. Danielle Carruthers (US) 13.11; 3. Christina Vukicevic (Norway) 13.20.

High jump: 1. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 1.93 metres; 2. Olena Kolosho (Ukraine) 1.90; 3 equal. Romana Dubnova (Czech Republic) 1.87, 3 equal. Marta Mendia (Spain) 1.87, 3 equal. Tatyana Kivimyagi (Russia) 1.87.

Discus throw: 1. Vera Cechlova (Czech Republic) 64.49 metres; 2. Franka Dietzsch (Germany) 64.19; 3. Nicoleta Grasu (Romania) 64.10.—Agencies