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A look back at sports

Ethiopia's Bekele runs indoor world best for two miles

LONDON
Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:40pm EST
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele wins the men's 10,000 metres race during the IAAF Brussels Golden League athletics meet (Memorial Ivo Van Damme) at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels September 14, 2007. Bekele set a world best for the men's indoor two miles of eight minutes 4.35 seconds at a meeting in Birmingham, England, on Saturday. REUTERS/Yves Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele set a world best for the men's indoor two miles of eight minutes 4.35 seconds at a meeting in Birmingham, England, on Saturday.

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Bekele's time was faster than the 8:04.69 mark set by fellow Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie in 2003.

"I'm very pleased. It's incredible for me," Bekele, the world and Olympic 10,000 meters champion, told BBC television.

Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure won the men's 60 meters in 6.56 seconds, with Briton Simeon Williamson in second in a personal best time of 6.57.

Williamson will hope his time is good enough to secure the second British place for next month's world indoor championships in Spain alongside Dwain Chambers, whose selection has been a hot topic of debate this week because of the two-year ban he served for failing a drugs test in 2003.

Chambers, who won last week's British trials, was not invited to the Birmingham grand prix.

Sweden's Susanna Kallur, who set a world record of 7.68 seconds for the women's 60 metres hurdles last week, easily won the event in Birmingham with a time of 7.75.

In the men's 400 metres, Canadian Tyler Christopher cruised to victory in 45.80, while American David Oliver won the men's 60 metres hurdles in 7.55.

(Writing by Sonia Oxley, editing by Rex Gowar)



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