Sean Wallace-Jones reports from Berlin

Haile Gebrselassie may have failed to take back his 5000 metre record this evening, but he had the stadium crowd on its feet screaming him on for most of the 12:55.14 it took him to cover the distance. The crowd went wild as Gebrselassie broke into a characteristic sprint in the last 200 metres, leaving behind him Paul Koech of Kenya who had stayed alongside Gebrselassie for much of the race. Both runners had slowed noticeably in the previous two laps, dropping back from the 62.80, 62.76, 63.23 marks to run 67.59 in the penultimate lap. Many had hoped that Gebrselassie would manage to win back at least one of the records snatched from him in Brussels the other evening, but the season has taken its toll and even the magic man from Ethiopia and 56,000 cheering spectators couldn’t make it happen. There is only so much any man can do, even when he is called Haile Gebrselassie.

Frankie Fredericks (NAM) won his fourth Golden Four 100m event this evening, marked a new record for the meeting and breasted the line ahead of Donovan Bailey(CAN) the world record holder to do so. Starting strongly, Fredericks was leading the race to around the fifty metre mark where Bailey, accelerating strongly after his usual slower start drew level and made his bid for the lead, with Tim Montgomery(USA) also drawing up on the other side of Fredericks. Fredericks visibly gritted his teeth and pulled out all the stops, once again pulling ahead and crossing the line in 9.99, with Bailey and Mongomery scoring an identical 10.05, and second place going to Mongomery in the photo.

Another meeting record in the women’s 100m, where ex-basketball player and the USA’s latest sprint star, Marion Jones, once again showing that she may be the new girl on the blocks..but she is also fastest off them, won the race in front of veterans Merlene Ottey (JAM) and Gail Devers (USA) to take the meeting record to 10.81. "I thought that I won, but was not sure because Merlene Ottey rejoiced too. I think it was a great race, for me a fantastic victory in front of an unforgettable audience. I never ran with so many people (over 50,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin). I’ve told everybody: I do not regret the change from basketball to athletics at all!"

Mark Crear (USA) scored a double hat trick here today, he won his third 110m hurdles in a row and took his third successive victory in this meeting. In the absence of Alllen Johnson, who failed to start, Crear dominated the race from the start leading Britons Tony Jarrett and Colin Jackson to the line in just 13.11 against a slight headwind (-0.5m/s).

Jamaica’s Deon Hemmmings dominated the women’s 400 metre hurdles leading arch-rival Kim Batten (USA) by a stride at the beginning of the final straight, Hemmings was first over the final hurdle and kicked hard to finish nearly half a second ahead of Batten in 53.26. Tatyana Tereschuk (UKR) took third place.

After running most of the women’s 5000m event in a tight group with Paula Radcliffe (GBR) leading for much of the race ahead of Gabriella Szabo (ROM), Lydia Cheromei and her Kenyan compatriot Sally Barsosio. Running a faultless tactical race Szabo and Cheromei broke away at the final bell and, trailed at distance by Paula Radcliffe, really kicked out 300 metres from the finish. Entering the final bend Szabo broke into a sprint and left Cheromei powerless in her wake: "Everybody will understand that I am not interested in a high pace (she crossed the line in 14:44.30). For me it was a tactical race and my plan comes true. I hope now for a lot of Gold! Tomorrow I will go to the Universiades and run the 1500m. After that it’s Fukuoka (the IAAF Grand Prix Final) and Tokyo and then it’s the end of the season, for me a great one!"

After clearing 2 metres in Brussels for a new personal best, Amy Acuff (USA), jumped a clear series right up to 1.93 metres and elected to go straight to 1.99, with the rest of the competition out of the game. But there was to be no new pb for the young American this evening, despite three attempts she failed to clear 1.99 and had to settle for her winning mark of 1.93.

Whilst Sergey Bubka managed to turn on the magic and clear 5.95m to snatch victory in the pole vault from Maxim Tarasov and Lawrence Johnson, who both failed at the 5.90 mark, Germany’s Lars Riedel was not so fortunate in the Discus throw. Riedel was unable to match the 67.60 thrown by Virgilius Alekna of Lithuania on his 4^th throw, despite pulling all the stops out and clearing 67.46 on his 6^th and last attempt.

There was an all-British victory in the men’s 400m. Iwan Thomas took first place (44.90) ahead of compatriots Mark Richardson (45.30) and Roger Black (45.58) in what was surely a very rare occurrence outside of a British national meeting.

Hicham El Guerrouj won the ISTAF Mile and became the third contestant to share the Golden Four’s 20 kilo golden jackpot -split amongst competitors who have won their chosen event in each of the Golden Four meets- along with Frankie Fredericks and Gabriella Szabo.

In the women’s 800 metres, Maria Mutola once again had the better of Ana Fidelia Quirot. When the Mozambican made her break at the 600 metre mark, Quirot just didn’t have the strength to match Mutola’s turn of speed and came in some six metres behind her at the close. Mutola said afterwards: "A victory against Ana Fidelia Quirot is always important. That is why I am satisfied. If you ask if I am tired, I have to say that everybody is tired at the end of the season, but the season is still going on."

World Champion Trine Hattestad of Norway could do no better than third in the women’s javelin throw. The event was won by Athens bronze medallist Tanja Damaske with her second throw mark of 66.58, whilst 2^nd place went to Felicia Tilea (ROM), 5^th in Athens, with her first and only good throw of the competition - 65.46. Hattestad made her best mark of 64.98 on her third throw. The men’s event was won by Boris Henry (GER), also with his first throw (86.04), while Britain’s Steve Backley threw 84.18 for 2^nd.

After the real racing, the show. To mark the sixtieth anniversary of the ISTAF meeting, the director Rudi Thiel organised a re-run of last year’s successful "Dream Team" relay event. This year the team counted Donovan Bailey, Leroy Burrell, Frankie Fredericks and anchor man Carl Lewis, in "King Carl’s" farewell appearance on the track in Europe. Well, the race was a dream with the four finishing well clear of selected teams from Germany, Africa, Europe and local Berlin clubs in a respectable 38.24. Lewis may be retiring, but he is still probably the biggest name in athletics today and possibly the sport’s greatest ambassador. A farewell trophy was awarded to both Carl Lewis and the "European Sprint King", Britain’s Linford Christie. Christie has already stopped running, after a series of farewell races, mainly in the smaller European meetings, and is now devoting his time to coaching and managing athletes.