Athletics: Kenyan dethrones the king

EDMONTON - Kenyan policeman Charles Kamathi succeeded yesterday where a generation of his distinguished compatriots failed over the best part of a decade.

On the sixth day of the eighth world championships, Kamathi, the world cross-country champion, handed Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie his first defeat over 10,000m since 1993.

During that period the little Ethiopian with the giant stride has won four world titles and two Olympic gold medals, setting 12 world records and three world best times.

After a sedate start yesterday, the final event of the day evolved into a contest between Ethiopia and Kenya, with Gebrselassie looking comfortable in second place.

On the last lap, Gebrselassie was still well-placed, when Kamathi shot to the front with 150m to run and surged again off the final bend to win by five metres in 27m 53.25s.

Ethiopian Assefa Mezgebu was second, with Gebrselassie, who has not run a race all year after foot surgery last November, fading to third.

"Being the first man to beat Gebrselassie since 1993 would be any athlete's proudest moment," Kamathi said.

"But I knew when I came here I could win the gold."

Paul Tergat, who retired from the track this year after winning four silver medals and a bronze behind Gebrselassie in global competitions, must be wondering at his timing.

Tergat, a five-times world cross-country champion, has now moved up to the marathon after finishing an agonising 0.09s behind Gebrselassie in last year's Sydney Olympic final.

Organisers of the London marathon, in particular, have been seeking Gebrselassie's signature for a match-up with Tergat. But last night, Gebrselassie said he still had unfinished business on the track.

He had wanted to win a fifth world title in Edmonton, then carry on to the 2003 championships in Paris and equal Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka's record of six.

Now he wants revenge.

"To move from the 10km is not acceptable," he said.

"I want to win something back again. It's not a good time to move to the marathon."

New Zealander John Henwood finished at the tail of the field, 25th and last in 29m 01s.

The 10,000m title was a welcome bonus for the Kenyans, who earlier confirmed their superiority in the 3000m steeplechase.

Olympic champion Reuben Kosgei extended the Kenyan grip on their favourite event which stretches back to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

But he had to fend off a late charge from Morocco's Olympic bronze medallist, Ali Ezzine, who ensured Kenya would not take the first two places for the first time since the 1991 Tokyo world championships.

"I gave my Olympic gold medal to my parents but I will keep this one for myself," Kosgei said. "It feels nice to be Olympic and world champion."

Germany also enjoyed a good night at the Commonwealth Stadium with Lars Riedel taking a fifth successive men's discus title and Martin Buss winning the men's high jump.

Riedel is now hot on Bubka's heels and warned his rivals there was more to come.

"Discus is my game, it is what I want to do," Riedel said. "It is not the end yet."

He came from behind to beat Virgilijus Alekna, of Lithuania, with a championship record to put Riedel in a class with American Al Oerter, who won four Olympic titles between 1956 and 1968.

The 34-year-old finished with 69.72m, his best effort this season, and was in tears as the crowd cheered his victory. Alekna, the top thrower this season, finished with 69.40m.

Riedel was the 1996 Atlanta Olympic champion and won world titles from 1991 to 1997, but had to settle for bronze in Seville two years ago.

Buss, who missed the 2000 outdoor season after an Achilles tendon injury, was the only man to clear 2.36m, leaving Russian 1999 world champion Vyacheslav Voronin and his team-mate Yaroslav Rybakov to share the bronze.

The night's other gold medal went to Moroccan Nezha Bidouane, who became the first woman to reclaim the world 400m hurdles title.

Bidouane has always considered she was robbed of the 1999 Seville world title where she finished 0.01s behind yesterday's bronze medallist, Daimi Pernia, of Cuba.

"I wanted to prove I was the world champion because the title was stolen from me in Seville," she said.

And on the drugs front, Gabriela Szabo, who had earler won the 1500m, has called off her boycott of the 5000m, but it remains unclear if the reason for her displeasure - Russian Olga Yegorova - will take part in today's qualifiers.

Yegorova is among up to 10 athletes whose out-of-competition blood tests indicated the possible use of the banned hormone EPO.

The IAAF's doping chief said the results of follow-up urine tests on the athletes may be known by today - the day of the 5000m heats.

- AGENCIES