Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie was delighted to put his recent calf injury behind him to break his own world record yesterday at the Berlin Marathon for the second consecutive year in the German capital.

The 35-year-old brushed off a calf injury he suffered in training two weeks ago to come home in a time of 2 hours 03 minutes and 59 seconds.

He took nearly half a minute off his own previous world record of 2 hours 04 minutes and 26 seconds set here 12 months ago to fulfill his own confident pre-race prediction of setting a new best mark.

This was the sixth time the world record has been broken in Berlin on the traditionally flat course.

"I am so, so happy, everything was perfect, the weather was perfect, the spectators were perfect, everything - I am so happy" said the Ethiopian.

"I felt like I was running in a stadium," he added at a later news conference. "The supporters were so good they helped me feel all the time like I was starting afresh.

"And really, this was once-in-a-lifetime weather. You must remember that."

"Two weeks ago I had a bit of a problem with my calf muscle, but I took a week off.

"It gave me a few worries coming here, but I forgot about it as the race wore on.

"I knew before I came here I could do something special, if you look from the beginning, everyone in Berlin seems to come and watch the race, it's a wonderful feeling."

The twice Olympic 5,000m champion has plenty of reasons to be happy.

As well as breaking the 26th world record of his career he will receive 50,000 euros ($73,000) for winning on top of his estimated 250,000 euros ($365,000) fee for racing here.

It was his sixth victory in his ninth marathon and this was the 35th Berlin marathon.

Kenya's James Kwambai finished second in a time of 2:05.36 and his compatriot Charles Kamathi was third in 2:07.48.

Germany's Irina Mikitenko, who won the London Marathon earlier this year, won the women's race in a time of 2 hours 19 minutes and 18 seconds which was a personal best and the fastest time in the world this year.

(AFP via China Daily September 29, 2008)