Saladino records longest jump for 14 years

HENGELO, Netherlands (Reuters) - World champion Irving Saladino recorded the best long jump for 14 years on Saturday with a 8.73 meters leap at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games.

Saladino's first-round effort elevated the 25-year-old Panamanian into seventh place in the all-time list.

"I was quite surprised," said Saladino, whose previous best was 8.57 meters. "After I jumped 8.50 it was like a dream, now it is even more amazing."

Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie boosted his chances of a fourth consecutive Olympic 10,000 metres appearance by finishing second to compatriot and Olympic silver medalist Sileshi Sihine.

Sihine clocked 26 minutes 50.53 seconds and Gebrselassie recorded 26:51.20, the two fastest times of the year.

Twice Olympic 10,000 gold medalist Gebrselassie, 35, quit the track after finishing fifth at the 2004 Athens Games to concentrate on the marathon, where he is the current world record holder.

But he has opted out of the Beijing Olympics marathon because of pollution concerns and decided to try to qualify for the 10,000 again.

"Running under 27 minutes was my goal," said Gebrselassie, who won gold in 1996 and 2000. "Now we have to wait and see the results from a few other 10,000 races over the next few weeks. And then the federation will decide."

Kenenisa Bekele, Gebrselassie's successor as world and Olympic 10,000 champion, won the 5,000 metres in a year's best 12:58.94.

Nineteen-year-old Kenyan Pamela Jelimo, the surprise winner of the 800 metres at last month's African championships, clocked 1:55.76, the fastest time in the world since 2002.

She also broke the world junior record of 1:57.18 set by China's Yuan Wang in Beijing in 1993. World 1,500 metres champion Maryam Jamal was second.

Ethiopian Gelete Burka won the women's 5,000 metres in 14:45.84, another year's best.

Robert Lathouwers of the Netherlands produced one of the biggest upsets of the day with his 1:45.80 victory in the 800 metres, well ahead of world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya who was third.

(Editing by John Mehaffey)