[AFP] – Kenenisa Bekele erased any doubts about his form ahead of next month’s World Championships in Japan with a record-breaking 3,000 metres win over Australia’s Craig Mottram at the rain-lashed British Grand Prix this morning (Australian time).
The Ethiopian, the Olympic and world 10,000 metres champion, burst clear with three laps to go as rain fell at the Don Valley Stadium and went nearly a lap in front.
Bekele’s time of 7 minutes, 26.69 seconds was a personal best and a new British allcomers’ record, beating the 7:29.69 run of Haile Gebrselassie, his compatriot, at London’s Crystal Palace eight years ago.
Mottram, who beat Bekele in September’s World Cup final, was way back in second, some nine seconds behind.
“It was a fantastic race,” Bekele said. “I’m happy to have ran so quickly especially in tough weather conditions.
“I have been training hard and this performance showed that I am at my best level.”
Australia’s Jana Rawlinson continued her successful comeback after giving birth by winning the 400m hurdles.
The former Jana Pittman, married to retired British hurdler Chris Rawlinson, won in a time of 54.60 as she geared up for Osaka.
Britain’s Natasha Danvers-Smith, runner-up to Rawlinson at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, was second in 55.31 with Sandra Glover of the United States third in 55.54.
It was 2003 world champion Rawlinson’s second win in three days after her success at Rome’s Golden League meeting on Friday.
The 400m race involving Olympic and world champion Jeremy Warriner and double-amputee Oscar Pistorius was marred by the weather.
Warriner stumbled out of the blocks and then stopped, as if expecting the starter to fire the recall gun.
But no recall came and Warriner let the field continue without him.
The wet conditions made life especially tough for Pistorius, who runs on carbon fibre blades attached to the legs below the knee.
He was last of those who finished and was subsequently disqualified for running outside his lane. American Angelo Taylor won in 45.25 seconds with Australia’s John Steffensen second.
Tyson Gay’s hopes of setting a 100m world record were frustrated by the weather, his winning time of 10.13 well outside Asafa Powell’s mark of 9.77.