2008 World Indoor Champs: Inside the Men's 3K

Story by Eric

The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships were exciting on several fronts, with athletes mentioned in previous stories on this site gaining more than their fair share of headlines both here and in other international press.

Today's meet reflection looks at the men's 3.000m, and one particular athlete's struggle to gain solid footing on his own. He's chased titles, shadows and respect for far too long. His victory in Valencia may have pushed him over the top, and provided him his own stature and name in a sport littered with stars, and in a family where one man has won world cross country titles, junior cross country titles, world championships, an Olympic gold medal, and has set world records indoors and outdoors.

That man, though only 19, is known as Tariku Bekele, and he may become the first one thinks of when the surname Bekele is said if he can carry his momentum forward and challenge the rest of the world outdoors like he did indoors this season, when, at the week-end, he knocked off the 2007 World Champion at the steeplechase (Paul Koech), and a 3.48 miler in Australian Craig Mottram among others in Spain.

Sit back, take down some notes, and learn as much as you can from this rich information digested from the men's 3.000m race.

Men's 3.000M

Tariku Bekele had long been in his brother's shadows since the start of his career on the youth and junior levels, and had also been overshadowed this season when Kenenisa broke countryman and mentor Haile Gebrselassie's world indoor record in the 2-mile, running 8.04,35 in Birmingham.

It didn't matter that the younger sibling had chased his elder brother out of the national junior ranks at the 3.000m outdoors, his brother's mark was one which set a world standard, whilst Tariku Bekele's was a national one.

Nor did it matter that he had played pace-maker to several world record attempts Kenenisa Bekele made at 5.000m, Tariku Bekele's name did not stand next to any world records as did his brother's.

Finally, as 3.000m races go, the best Kenenisa Bekele had accomplished at a major championship as a junior was winning the 1999 World Youth Games silver medallist. Tariku Bekele, running in his brother's long, extended shadow, also captured a silver medal, collecting his hardware four years later in Sherbrooke.

Tariku Bekele's victory in Valencia changed a bit of luck for the young star, however, and provided him with several distinctions to go along with the $40.000 he pocketed for his victory.

Key observations from the race:

• Though Tariku Bekele was unable to claim the fastest mark in the family indoors at 3.000m - he trails his brother by 0,58 seconds, he was able to step into new territory this winter by running the fastest time in the world this season (7.31,09) in Stuttgart, and by running faster on paper than his brother, Kenenisa Bekele - a multiple world-indoor and outdoor record holder - though Kenenisa Bekeke's 3.000m time during his record 2-mile was "worth" more than his absolute best of 7.30,51.
• And, equally important to Tariku Bekele was that he able to win a major championship - something which had eluded the "other Bekele" on previous occasion as he played second-fiddle to his older brother.
• Tariku Bekele, by winning the World Indoor Championships at the ripe old age of 21 years, 48 days, became the youngest male indoor titlest of the previous 12 men who'd claimed the world crown at 3.000m, and brought to five the number of titles Ethiopian men have won at this distance indoors.
• Gebrselassie won three titles (1997, 1999 and 2003), and Kenenisa Bekele's victory in 2006 brought back the bragging rights to Ethiopia following Bernard Lagat's 2004 victory. The Bekele brothers have made it two-straight for their country, and two-consecutive for their family.
• Though Gebrselassie found previous success indoors during his career, winning back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1999, no athlete this century has defended their title in the five races contested through last week-end. This has been due to none of the previous defenders (Hicham El Guerrouj, Gebrselassie, Lagat and Kenenisa Bekele) showing up to contest the next championship.
• Kenenisa Bekele had the previous distinction of being the youngest gold medallist when he, at the age of 23 years 272 days, placed first in the 3.000m two years ago in Moscow, running 7.39,32.
• Tariku Bekele set a record of note in that same race by becoming the youngest finalist at 19 years 50 days, by placing sixth in 7.47,67. Tariku now has layed claim to being both the youngest finalist of the 147 men who have made it to the start line as well as the youngest gold medallist.
• Together, Kenenisa Bekele (2006) and Tariku Bekele (2008) have now become the only brothers to win a championship, and the only family members to have won back-to-back men's 3.000m titles.
• Tariku Bekele is the only athlete to have run the closest non-winning time relative to his victory, with a mere 0,56 seconds between his previous performance in Moscow and his winning time in Valencia.
• Kenenisa Bekele, who has the current world indoor records at 2.000m (4.49,99), 2-mile (8.04,59) and 5.000m (12.49.60), has the fastest finishing 1.500m of the dynamic duo, closing out his masterfully-crafted race in Moscow with a 1.500m split of 3.36,5 to Tariku Bekele's 3.40 run at the week-end.
• Tariku Bekele has family honours in the 3.000m outdoors, however, owning Ethiopia's national junior record at 7.29,11 set two years ago in Rieti. Kenenisa Bekele held the previous honour by running 7.30,67 five years earlier in Bruxelles.
• Tariku Bekele's final 1.000m, covered in a hand-timed 2.22,5, however, is the fastest-ever recorded in a finishing kick, with brother Kenenisa's 2.23,33 the previous fastest in a much longer kick. El Guerrouj, who won the 2001 title (7.37,74) in Lisboa, closed out his race in 2.24,76.
• Tariku Bekele, who ran 8.04,83 in the 2-mile outdoors last season, and has a 12.53,81 best at 5.000m, benefitted from a slow opening kilometre of 2.48,58 followed by a 5.25,71 at the 2.000m mark; his first-half split was appromiately 4.08.
• Bekele's victory is closest in measurement to Saïd Aouita's 1989 title in Budapest, with the former 1.500m, mile, 2.000m, 3.000m and 5.000m world-record holder's race splitting 5.24,02 at the 2.000m mark (Frank O'Mara) and Aouita finishing with a 7.47,94 (4.02,5/3.46,4). Bekele finished with approximate splits of 4.07/3.40.
• Seven of the 13 champions have been 1.500m/mile specialists (two of them world record-holders at both distances, and one has been an NCAA 1.500m champion (O'Mara). However, three of the past four champions have now been longer-distance specialists who have demonstrated better endurance and sustained longer kicks than their counterparts have been able to muster.
• El Guerrouj (7.37,74) and O'Mara (7.41,14) are the only mile specialists who have a top-five winning time in the indoor championships.
• Tariku Bekele may separate himself from his brother if he is able to defend his title in two years when the nation of Qatar hosts the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Then again, in an Olympic year as this one, his brother may add to his legendary status by taking his second-consecutive 10.000m title, leaving Tariku Bekele in further want of his own identity.

IAAF World Indoor Championships
Winners:

1985: ..... 7.57,63 (João Campos)
1987: ..... 8.03,32 (Frank O'Mara)
1989: ..... 7.47,94 (Saïd Aouita)
1991: ..... 7.41,14 (Frank O'Mara)
1993: ..... 7.50,26 (Gennaro Di Napoli)
1995: ..... 7.50,89 (Gennaro Di Napoli)
1997: ..... 7.34,71 (Haile Gebrselassie)
1999: ..... 7.53,57 (Haile Gebrselassie)
2001: ..... 7.37,74 (Hicham El Guerrouj)
2003: ..... 7.40,97 (Haile Gebrselassie)
2004: ..... 7.56,34 (Bernard Lagat)
2006: ..... 7.39,32 (Kenenisa Bekele)
2008: ..... 7.47,28 (Tariku Bekele)

Photo Credit: BBC Athletics

IAAF World Championships: Soboleva Crushes WR

Story written by Eric.

Russia's Yelena Soboleva established her second world record at 1.500m this indoor season, running 3 minutes 57,71 seconds to win her first World Indoor title at the IAAF Championships in Valencia.

Soboleva, who finished second two years ago to teammate Yuliya Fomenko, out-sprinted her rival with a powerful kick the final 100m over the 200m track, and won going-away, taking off 0,34 seconds from the record she set at the Russian Indoor National Championships two weeks ago.

Soboleva, 25, ran to the front of the race during the first 100m, and was followed by Bahrain's Maryam Jamal and Fomenko early in the race. Soboleva ran a controlled 30,95 split at the 200m mark and continued running what appeared to be content and effortless through at first-lap split of 63,26.

There was no change in the top-3 order until the 600m mark, reached in 1.35,66, with Fomenko taking over pacing duties.

Fomenko and and Soboleva towed the field through a very respectable 2.07,89 to drag Jamal and Ethiopian Geleta Burka with them in a front pack of four.

Fomenko reached the 1.000m mark just under 2.40, splitting 2.39,90 off of a 32,01 segment from the 800m mark. Soboleva continued to look content to bide her time in second as they passed the clock with 400m remaining in an incredible 2.55 on the clock.

Fomenko continued her excellent running and attempted to take the kick out of her teammate, hitting the 1.200m split in 3.11,53 (31,63), and then surged very hard to attempt to deflate Soboleva's 1.56 800m speed.

Soboleva didn't relent, however, and took the lead at 1.300m (3.27). Soboleva's move was a decisive one, and she took the field through a 3.42,27 for 1.400m (30,74 split).

Needing to run just under 16,00 to break the world record, Soboleva ran 15,44 over the final turn and straight to finish in world-record time.

Fomenko finished second in a new personal best time of 3.59,41, with Burka third in an African record time of 3.59,75. Jamal, the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor champion, finished without a medal, but could be content with setting a new personal best of 3.59,79.

Four women in all finished with new national records. Soboleva earned a bonus of $50.000 for setting a world record, and pocketed $40.000 for the victory.

Soboleva's was the only world record set at the championships, which concluded this evening.

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IAAF World Indoor Championships

Women's 1.500m Final

1, Yelena Soboleva, RUS, 3.57,71 (WR); 2, Yuliya Fomenka, RUS, 3.59,41 (PB); 3, Gelete Burka, ETH, 3.59,75 (AR); 4, Maryam Yusuf Jamal, BRN, 3.59,79 (AR); 5, Daniela Yordanova , BUL, 4.04,19 (NR); 6, Liliana Popescu, ROM, 4.07,61; 7, Bouchra Ghézielle, FRA, 4.08,66; 8, Siham Hilali MAR 4.15,54; Sonja Roman, SLO, DNF

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KAKI CAPS SENSATIONAL DEBUT WITH VICTORY

Abubaker Kaki entered the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships with exactly three races under his belt: an 800m in Leipzig which netted him the second-fastest time of the year (1.46,06), and two 1.000m races - the first which nabbed the 18-year-old the world junior record in Stockholm (2.15,77).

Kaki tripled his lifetime total of indoor races in Valencia, and did not disappoint in his attack on a truly stellar field, winning a stunning race against South African Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 1.44,81 to 1.44,91.

Mulaudzi was the 2004 world indoor champion and Olympic silver medallist behind Yuriy Borzakovskiy in Athens, and had possessed the most experience and the highest credentials of the contestants in the final.

Though Mulaudzi was only able to equal his standing set two years ago in Moscow, he did set a new national record tonight in the process.

Bronze medallist Yusuf Saad Kamal of Burundi (1.45,26) and fourth-placer Dmitrijs Milkevics (1.45,72), who had the third-fastest time in the world entering the final (1.46,09), also set national records in a race won with the third-fastest time ever run in the World Indoor Championships.

The field was so deep that fifth-placer, Russian Dmitry Bogdanov (1.45,76) and American Nick Symmonds (1.46,48), who had looked very strong in his heat and semi-final races, set personal records in what was truly one of the highlights of the evening behind Soboleva's world record run mentioned above.

Symmonds' time was only 0,01 of a second from equalling the best mark for sixth place in the championships.

Kaki stated prior to the opening race that he wouldn't underestimate his competitors, but the strong Sudanese took the lead from the gun and split 24,92 - 51,26 the first two laps before Mulaudzi gave chase.

Entering the final lap, Kaki split 1.18,28 at the 600m mark, and all eyes in the stadium were on the fast-kicking Mulaudzi as he prepared to overtake his junior runner. Mulaudzi pushed Kaki hard down the backstretch, and it appeared that Kaki would not find the strength to hold off Mulaudzi, who has a 1.42,89 outdoor best.

Kaki came off the final turn with his arms pumping hard, his neck strained and his eyes on the finish line as Mulaudzi, running to his right in lane two, came up even with him, and attempted to overtake him with the remaining metres to the finish line in sight.

Malaudzi was unable to negotiate a better finishing spurt than Kaki, however, and the 18-year-old claimed his sixth victory in as many races this indoor season, running the second-fastest world junior time in history behind Borzakovskiy's 1.44,35 -- and the fastest time in the world since 2004.

Kaki's superlative mixture of strength and speed will make it very challenging for anyone to match strides with him as he takes a break, rests and prepares to translate his new-found talents to the outdoor oval.

Kaki shouldn't have too difficult a time with that, however, as he ran a solo 1.43 800m in November to fly under the radar nearly two months following the conclusion to the normal Grand Prix season.

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IAAF World Indoor Championships

Men's 800m Final

1, Abubaker Kaki, SUD, 1.44,81 (WL); 2, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, RSA, 1.44,91 (NR); 3, Yusuf Saad Kamel, BRN, 1.45,26 (AR); 4 Dmitrijs Milkevics, LAT, 1.45,72 (NR); 5 Dmitriy Bogdanov, RUS, 1.45,76 (PB); 6 Nick Symmonds, USA, 1.46,48 (PB)

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TARIKU BEKELE (7.48,23) STEPS OUT OF SHADOWS

The men's 3.000m featured a stunning field which included Australian Craig Mottram, Kenya's Paul Koech and Ethiopians Tariku Bekele -- the 2008 world indoor leader at this distance, and teammate Abreham Cherkos, who holds the world youth best for the outdoor 3.000m (7.32,37), and the 5.000m (12.54,19), and who also set the World Junior record at this distance (7.38,03) in Stuttgart on 2-February.

Mottram, who holds a 3.48 mile best and set a national record in the 3.000m last month with a 7.34,50, and Koech, the 2007 World Outdoor Champion in the steeplechase, were expected to be Bekele's biggest challengers.

All seemed to play into the kickers' race the first kilometre, covered in 2.48,58 - a pace which Ethiopian women's winner, Meseret Defar, could have managed without difficulty.

Koech, who ran 8.06,48 over two miles in finishing second to Bekele's older brother, Kenenisa, in Birmingham on 16-February, took over the pacing charge to lead the field through a sub-par 5.25,71 (2.42,88 pace) - but one which surprisingly begun stringing out the field a bit as Bekele began to position himself for a long drive home to the finish.

Bekele made a terrific move with three laps remaining, and inflicted a great deal of hurt on the kickers in the race, covering his final 1.000m in 2.22,5 and finishing off his final 1.500m in 3.40 - a pace which would have kept him in contention in the open 1.500m race contested the prior evening!

Bekele's winning time of 7.48,23 wasn't the fastest winning time in history, but his closing 1.500m segment was six seconds faster than was Saïd Aouita's 3.46,4 in his 1989 victory (7.47,94) in Budapest.

Koech, who fought valiantly to hold off Cherkos, finished with the silver medal, running 7.49,05, with Cherkos nabbing the bronze (7.49,96).

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IAAF World Indoor Championships

Men's 3.000m Final

1, Tariku Bekele, ETH, 7.48,23; 2, Paul Koech, KEN, 7.49,05; 3, Abrehem Cherkos, ETH, 7.49,96; 4, Edwin Soi, KEN, 7.51,60; 5, Craig Mottram, AUS, 7.52,42; 6, Mohammed Farah, GB, 7.55,08; 7, Ali Maatoui, MAR, 7.58,93; 8, Sergio Sanchez, ESP, 7.59,74 (PB); 9, James C'Kurui, QAT, 8.00,44; 10, Kamal Boulahfane, ALG, 8.04,73; 11, Jonathan Riley, USA, 8.05,59; 12, Arne Gabius, GER, 8.11,21.

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In other developments, Russia's Evgeniy Lukyanenko raised his world-lead up to 5,90m in winning the pole vault, holding back American Brad Walker (5,85 PB), the reigning world indoor and outdoor champion.

Phillips Idowu finally lived up to his promise in the triple jump, setting the Spanish crowd ablaze with astonishment with a second-round leap of 17,75m - the 2008 world lead, and only eight centimetres behind Christian Olsson's world record.

Canadian sprinter Tyler Christopher ran an excellent final 50m to take the victory from Sweden's Johan Wissman, who led at the gun in 21,10 seconds. Christopher made a big move down the stretch to run the fastest time in the world this season, 45,67. Wissman finished with the silver in an indoor personal best of 46,04 .

Maria Mutola was denied an eighth world indoor title when Australia's Tamsyn Lewis sprinted past the field and surprised leader Tetiana Petlyuk to win in 2.02,57 - the slowest winning time in meet history. Mutola won her first indoor title in 1993, running 1.57,55 in Toronto, and defeating Russian Svetlana Masterkova and American Joetta Clark in the process.

Mutola is retiring at the end of the outdoor season.

(The women's high jump will be featured in a separate report on Monday).

Foto Credits: IAAF.org

2008 GE Galan Preview

Story written by Eric

The Swedish capital of Stockholm is preparing to add to the wave of incredible momentum created this indoor season when it hosts the GE Galan tomorrow evening, with all 13.000 tickets to the two-hour event sold out in anticipation of watching one of its own national stars, Sanna Kallur, continue her own wave of excellence as she laces up for the second time this winter for a race in her home country.

Kallur, the newly-minted world record-holder at 60m hurdles and defending IAAF World Indoor champion at the distance, is unbeaten in five competitions this this indoor season, running seven of the eight fastest times recorded, as well as two of the top-10 all-time. Teammate Carolina Klüft is also entered in the 60m hurdles as well as the long jump.

Kallur's is one of five world indoor records set during the past three weeks of competition, and GE Galan organisers, who have witnessed several world indoor records set on their track - including the current men's 5.000m standard, have assembled a stellar line-up of action featuring reigning Olympic and IAAF World champions set to compete the 12 disciplines on tap for the evening.

They've also purchased a new, quicker track surface - the same kind which is being used at next month's world championships, and also at the Olympics later this summer in Beijing.

Fast 3.000m Promised

American Bernard Lagat, who won an unprecedented 1.500m/5.000m double at last season's world outdoor championships in Osaka, is entered in the men's 3.000m run - a race which also features the reigning world steeplechase champion, Paul Koech from Kenya.

Lagat and Koech both competed at the weekend in Birmingham, with Lagat winning the 1.500m in the second-fasest time of the season. Koech ran an incredibly strong 2-mile race to place second behind Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, with both men setting new national records - and Bekele breaking the world record.

Lagat, the highest-ranked returning Olympic 1.500m finalist, spoke at the GE Galan press conference yesterday, and stated that his training is going exceptionally well, and he even feels lighter on his feet. Lagat is promising a fast race, and has hopes of running even with Bekele's meet record of 7.30,51 set in last year's meeting.

"It will be a good race," Lagat said. "Everyone knows how well Paul Koech ran in Birmingham on Saturday - a fantastic race! But I am prepared to meet them and I want to really run fast - down toward 7.30 - in my first race in Stockholm."

Borzakovskiy Unstoppable?

Another athlete who hasn't put on the brakes thus far this season is reigning 800m Olympic champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy from Russia, who holds the GE Galan meet record with a 1.44,34 set in 2003.

Borzakovskiy has run the swiftest indoors this season, stopping the clock in 1.45,58 in Stuttgart 18 days ago, and anchored Russia to a new national 4x800m record two weeks ago, splitting 1.44,5 on his anchor leg. He's undefeated this season at 800m, and has won each of his eight races ranging from 400m to 1.000m.

Borzakovskiy will be challenged tomorrow by national teammate Dmitriy Bogdanov, who has the third-fastest time this season (1.46,24) and Kenya's Wilfred Bungei, who won the world indoor championships at this distance in Moscow two seasons ago.

Precocious Kaki Aiming High

One athlete who has begun to make a name for himself over the past three months is 18-year-old Sudanese Abubaker Kaki, a former goalee who, in his first-ever indoor competition on Sunday, ran the year's second-fastest time (1.46,06) in defeating a stellar field including Nils Schumann, the 2000 Olympic 800m champion.

Kaki been competed in athletics for only three years - winning a bronze medal at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships in Marrakech in his first year in the sport, but made a phenominal breakthrough in November, running a near solo 1.43,90 (the fourth-fastest of 2007) to win in Al-Qâhirah.

Kaki, who is contesting the 1.000m tomorrow, has high ambitions for himself outdoors - including breaking Sammy Koskeis 1.42,28 African record, and winning the Olympic final.

Mutola Aims to Finish Perfect in Globen

African 800m queen Maria Mutola, who set her 800m indoor best - 1.56,36 - 10 years ago in Liévin, is set to contest her final race under the lights at Globen, a venue which saw her set two 1.000m world records (2.31,23 in 1996 and 2.30,94 in 1999) in her previous five contests here.

Mutola is the reigning 800m world indoor champion, and is up against a formidable foe in Russian Olga Kotlyarova, the 600m world record-holder (1.23,44), 2006 European outdoor champion and fifth-place finisher at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. Great Britain's Jenny Meadows may also clash with the titans up front for a chance at victory.

Other Key Matchups

Field events will also offer the partisan crowd an opportunity to cheer for two of its own, as Stefan Holm, the last high jumper to clear 2,40m (2005 European Championships in Madrid), leads a field including teammate Linus Thörnblad and a Russian duo of Andrey Silnov and Ivan Ukhov, who are second and third on the yearly list with 2,37m and 2,36m clearances, respectively.

Holm, who has jumped 2,30m or higher in each of his five competitions this winter, won last year's contest with a 2,33m jump, with Thörnblad finishing second with a 2,30m clearance.

Another fantastic matchup on tap during the two hour 15 minute schedule will be the men's 400m, where Sweden's Johan Wissman takes on Tyler Christopher, who set a new Canadian record in winning last weekend's Birmingham race in what appeared to be particularly easy fashion. Christopher and Wissman finished sixth and seventh at last year's world outdoor championships, separated by 0,01 seconds.

Cuba's Dayron Robles, contesting the 60m hurdles, will be one of the featured athletes of the evening. Robles has been unstoppable by his foes, having collected seven of the 10-fastest 60m hurdles this season - including a list-leading 7,33 seconds - the second-fastest ever, and a mere 0,03 seconds from Colin Jackson's indoor world record.

Other matchups which should spark great competition are the women's long jump and the women's 1.500m.

Klüft, who has overcome an uncomfortable disk problem in her back, will oppose Russians Tatyana Kotova and Irina Simagina as well as Portugal's Naide Gomes in the long jump among others. Samagina holds the world lead with a 6,94m jump - and also has a 6,92m to her credit, with Gomes, the 2006 bronze medallist at the World Indoor Championships, third on the indoor list at 6,90m.

Bahrain's Maryam Jamal, the 2007 IAAF World 1.500m champion, will be making her season's debut in Globen, but has a lifetime best of 4.01,82 - a time which serves as both her national record and the African record. Jamal's strongest competition should be from Great Britain's Lisa Dobriskey and Ethiopia's Gelete Burka, the African Junior record-holder (3.59,60) making her indoor debut.

For the ninth-consecutive year, GE is the main sponsor for this meet, which has at present seen six world records and 22 Swedish records established at the venue. The GE Galan will be shown on television in 35 countries, and will show on TV4 in Sweden.

We've been very fortunate to have such a prestigious event staged in our backyard and play host to a wonderful array of athletes.

The GE Galan will air on RAI Sport (Hotbird 2 13°E 11804 V) between 19.40 and 21.30.

Full start lists here

(Foto credit: GE Galan homepage)

Isinbayeva (4.95m), Bekele (8.04,34) Set WR's

Story written by Eric

In her 2008 debut, Yelena Isinbayeva, 25, raised her own World record indoors to 4.95m today at the Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine, and won a $50.000 bonus for eclipsing the top mark ever achieved indoors.

Isinbayeva, the reigning IAAF World Indoor Champion, added two centimetres to the previous indoor mark she set one year ago at the same venue, and won by 13 centimetres over teammate Yuliya Golubchikova, who finished second with a 4.72m clearance. Poland's Monika Pyrek placed third with a 4.67m vault.

Isinbayeva has now faced Golubchikova 20 times, and has gotten the better of her rival on each of those occasions - the final 13 coming as victories. Pyrek, the 2003 IAAF World Indoor bronze medallist (4.45m), has 11 victories in 63 competitions against Isinbayeva, and has not defeated her since winning the 2006 DN Galan in Stockholm.

This was the third-consecutive year in which Isinbayeva, who has leaped a world record of 5.01m outdoors, broke the indoor mark in Donetsk. Isinbayeva jumped 4.93m in Donetsk last year, and 4.91m in 2006.

Isinbayeva's winning mark today was her 22nd world record in the pole vault and was her first personal-best mark set in 12 months and 17 competitions. She also managed to clear 4.70m or higher for the 53rd time in her career. Isinbayeva had not competed since 2007-October-3 when she vaulted to a firsts-place 4.80m victory in Daegu, Korea.

Isinbayeva, who also is the reigning Olympic, World and European champion, has a 23-finals win-streak and has set world indoor records at least once during the past five seasons. She has been pre-selected to represent Russia at next month's IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, where she will defend the title she won two years ago in Moscow.

Next up for the wealthy Russian is a stop in St. Petersburg on Monday to participate in the 2008 Laureus Awards, where the popular Russian will learn if she has been selected Sportswoman of the Year.

Justine Henin (Belgium, Tennis), Carolina Klüft (Sweden, Athletics), Libby Lenton (Australia, Swimming), Marta (Brazil, Football) and Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf) are the other nominated stars up for the award.

Sergey Bubka, who holds the men's indoor and outdoor pole vault records and put on the meet, was on hand to witness Isinbayeva's record feat. Bubka set the still-standing world indoor mark of 6.15m in Donetsk in 1993. Bubka will also be in attendance Monday at the Laureus award show.

BEKELE BREAKS MENTOR'S 2-MILE RECORD

Birmingham, England -- Kenenisa Bekele, holder of four middle- and long-distance world records, struck again today at the Norwich Union indoor Grand Prix meeting, running two miles in 8 minutes 4.34 seconds, setting his third record at the English indoor venue.

Bekele, who earned a $30.000 bounty for breaking Haile Gebrselassie's indoor mark by a scant 0,34 seconds, was challenged by Paul Koech, the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor steeplechase champion, throughout the final mile until Bekele pulled away on the backstretch of the final lap.

Koech, who has a lifetime best of 7.33,93 outdoors in the 3.000m, ran to a new national Kenyan record of 8.06,48 in finishing second, with Abraham Chebii of Kenya finishing third in a personal-best time of 8.13,28.

Bekele and Koech lined themselves up to make it a 1-2 race following the final rabbit through the 1.600m mark, covered in 4 minutes 0,58 seconds. Bekele then assumed the pacing duties over his stalking challenger at the 2.000m mark, a split which he covered in 5.00,61. Koech appeared to bide his time as he sat back in second when Bekele put in a 59,8-second quarter split to break open the race.

Koech appeared to find a reprieve when Bekele slowed during the next 200m segment and fell off the blistering pace following a 62,9 split leading up to 2.800m, but the Kenyan finally felt the Ethiopian's pace's too much to handle once the pair hit the 3.000m marker in 7.34 -- one second off of Koech's personal best.

Bekele has done particularly well in Birmingham, having run a world record in the 2.000m (4.49,99) last season, and setting the current indoor 5.000m record (12.49,60) there in 2004.

Bekele made a valiant attempt in 2006 to break Gebrselassie's 2-mile world record -- which was also the Ethiopian national record, but fell 0,43 seconds short.

The 2008 indoor season is proving to be a highly competitive one leading up to the Olympic Games, with no less than four world records set within the past six days.

Select results from Birmingham:
Full results

1		Kenenisa BEKELE	ETH	8:04.35				WR
2		Paul KOECH	KEN	8:06.48				NR
3		Abraham CHEBII	KEN	8:13.28				PB
4		Markos GENETI	ETH	8:16.49				SB
5		Bekana DABA	ETH	8:18.92				PB
6		Mo FARAH	GBR	8:20.95				PB
7		Nick MCCORMICK	GBR	8:26.44				PB
8		Erik SJOQVIST	SWE	8:36.74				NR
9		Francisco ESPANA	ESP	8:43.31				PB
10		Adam BOWDEN	GBR	8:47.57				PB
		Javier CARRIQUEO	ARG	DNF
		Bikila DEMMA	ETH	DNF

Split Times

1000m		CARRIQUEO	ARG			2:29.66
2000m		BEKELE	ETH		(2:30.95)	5:00.61
3000m		BEKELE	ETH		(2:33.99)	7:34.60
Finish		BEKELE	ETH		(29.75)	8:04.35