Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele has broken the world men's 5,000 metres record after clocking 12 minutes 37.35 seconds at an international meeting in Hengelo.
The previous mark of 12:39.36 was set by fellow Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie in Helsinki on June 13, 1998.
Trailing Bekele in second place was compatriot Mulugeta Wendimu, in a time of 13:01.28, with Kenya's Hillary Chenonge third in 13:08.77.
"It was very difficult," Bekele told Dutch public television after he took the lead in the fourth lap and then pulled away from the pack in the seventh.
"The pace was a little slow (at the beginning)."
Bekele, the world 10,000 metres champion, beat Gebrselassie over that distance at last August's Paris world championships.
He will contest the 10,000 at a meeting in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic on June 8th.
