No One’s World Record Safe In Zurich 800-, 5,000-Meter, Steeplechase Marks Fall In World-Class Day

Wilson Kipketer shattered the oldest world record in track and field and two more world marks fell at the star-studded Weltklasse Grand Prix meet Wednesday.

While no world records fell during the nine-day World Championships that ended in Athens on Sunday, the Zurich meet lived up to its name - Weltklasse means “world class” in German.

Kipketer, a 24-year-old Kenyan-born star who is now a citizen of Denmark, smashed Sebastian Coe’s 16-year-old record in the 800 meters with a time of 1 minute, 41.24 seconds.

Wilson Boit Kipketer of Kenya, no relation to the 800-meter runner, shattered the 3,000-meter steeplechase record with a time of 7:59.08.

Haile Gebrselassie, a 24-year-old Ethiopian, completed the record threesome by pulverizing his own 5,000 record with a time of 12:41.86, improving on his 1995 mark of 12:44.39.

Wilson Kipketer had already tied the Briton’s 1981 mark of 1:41.73 in Stockholm earlier this summer and it was just a matter of time until he broke it.

“Everything was perfect today - the weather, the pace, the crowd,” Wilson Kipketer said. “I am very satisfied - for now. It wasn’t easy after the worlds, I came here tired.”

His namesake smashed the steeplechase mark of 7:59.18 set by fellow Kenyan Moses Kiptanui in 1995.

“I didn’t expect the record. I just felt good and ran,” said Boit Kipketer, a gold medalist in Athens.

The race was on world record pace from the start. Barnabas Barmao, acting as a “rabbit,” pushed his fellow Kenyans with a blistering pace and the Kenyans swept the top six places. Kiptanui finished third.

The three record breakers got $50,000 and a kilo of gold each as a bonus for smashing the world marks.

“I still have a lot of respect for Moses Kiptanui. For this record I thank my Italian coach Gabriele Rosa,” said Boit Kipketer, who is 23 and trains in Brescia, Italy. “I hope that my eight brothers and three sisters will also celebrate at home, but I don’t think I’ll be a national hero now.”

Bernard Barmasai was second in 8:00.35, and Kiptanui third in 8:00.78.

“When so many Kenyans start together in a race in this stadium, the only possibility is to expect a world record,” Kiptanui said.

In the 800, Patrick Ndururi of Kenya was second in 1:42.62, while Rich Kenah of the United States was third in 1:43.38.

Gebrselassie, who is also world record-holder and Olympic champion in the 10,000, said he would try to crack the 12:40 barrier - but only if somebody breaks his record first.

“First, I must thank the Kenyan runners. They set a perfect pace. The weather was also marvelous,” said Gebrselassie, who only ran and took the title in the 10,000 in Athens.

The race was so fast that Dieter Baumann of Germany, who finished fifth, still set a European record of 12:54.70.

Daniel Komen of Kenya, the world champion, finished second in 12:44.90.