Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia sets world record for indoor two-mile race Feb 17, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, England - Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set the world indoor two-mile record for Saturday at the Norwich Union Grand Prix track and field competition.
He posted a time of eight minutes 4.35 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 8:04.69 set in February 2003 by compatriot Haile Gebrselassie.
"It was not easy but I knew I could do it," said Bekele, who was chased for most of the race by Kenya's Paul Koech but produced a fast final lap to run away from the field. "Paul Koech was very close, but I knew I had a fast finish in me."
Bekele has broken Gebrselassie's 2,000-and 5,000-metre indoor marks here. He was close to breaking Gebrselassie's two-mile record last year.
"It is great here in Birmingham and it helped me with the fast time today," said Bekele, who earned US$30,000 for beating the mark.
The Canadian Press
Kenenisa Bekele
Preparation for the Annual Midwest Ethiopian Tournament to be held in Columbus, Ohio On May 24-26, 2008 (Memorial Day Weekend) is going nicely. We have secured a nice stadium, party hall, and will soon complete a contract with an exclusive hotel located in the heart of the City. It will have been a long 6 years since the tournament has been in Columbus, but it will be worth the wait, as we are planning the largest Midwest Tournament ever. Since the tournament has been in Columbus last, it has been held in beautiful cities far and near, including St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.
