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World record for Gebrselassie
15/01/2006 19:15 - (SA)
Tempe, Arizona - Haile Gebrselassie shattered the world half marathon record by 21 seconds on Sunday while running the last half of the Rock 'N' Roll Arizona marathon.
He also broke the 20km world mark en route. It marked the 19th and 20th time the diminutive Ethiopian has broken world marks in his career.
"This is my first one in America," he said. "It's a little special to me."
His half marathon time of 58 minutes, 55 seconds on a clear, crisp morning through the streets of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe broke the mark of 59:16 set by 18-year-old Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya in Rotterdam, Netherlands, last Sept 11.
His 20km time, also officially clocked, was 55:48. That broke the world record held by his longtime rival, Paul Tergat of Kenya, of 56:18 set in the Stramilano, Italy, half marathon on April 4, 1998.
- SAPA
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