Sean Wallace-Jones reports from Brussels

To the chants of the stadium crowd and the beating drums of a Kenyan band, Daniel Komen took back his 5000m world record and shattered Haile Gebrselassie’s record with a new mark of 12:39.74, nearly two and a half seconds better than the time Gebrselassie set in Zurich just a week ago. In his press conference prior to the meeting, Gebrselassie was asked how many records he would have at the end of the meeting and had replied with a wry smile: "We shall have to wait and see". Sadly for Gebrselassie, the answer was to be "None!" Led by pacemakers Elijah Maru (KEN), who ran the first 1000 split in 2:32.05 and Martin Keino (KEN) - 2000m, 5:02.31; 3000m, 7:37.22, Komen swept through the 4000 mark in 10:08.53 leaving the field a full 30 seconds behind him. He commented afterwards: "At this moment I can see only one athlete who can break this one, and it is of course Haile Gebrselassie. Haile is a good friend of mine and I think the competition between us is the best thing that could happen to athletics. The public was great. This meeting is really a big party for the 5000 and 10,000m runners. I’ll be back next year and I will try to do even better!"

Just minutes after Komen’s record, the 10,000m started and 26 minutes 27. 85 seconds later, Gebrselassie had lost this record too. This time it was Paul Tergat’s turn to take the record, making it Kenya two, Ethiopia nil on the record score for the evening. Tergat was four seconds down on the pace schedule at the halfway mark with 13:17.46, a second approximately slower than Gebrselassie’s split on his record run. The 8000m mark was passed in 21:15, two seconds up on Gebrselassie’s pace and Tergat went on, alone for the last four laps, to take 3.5 seconds off the record.

Marion Jones compounded her world championships gold with the fastest time of the year and the joint third fastest time ever in the women’s 100m. The young American sprint star’s 10.77 mark matched that of Evelyn Ashford (USA) set in 1994 and has only been bettered by Merlene Ottey (JAM) - 10.74 in 1996 -, who came in third in 10.83 and by Florence Griffith Joyner whose 10.49 mark has stood since 1988!

Despite a final sprint Gabriela Szabo failed to register the hoped for record time in the women’s 5000m. After a well-paced start led by Ruth Wysocki (USA) - 1000m 2:54.89, 2000m 5:51.25 -then taken over by Birhane Adhere (ETH), who made the pace up to the 3000m mark - 8:47.49. With the pacemakers off the track, the pack rapidly split with a tight group led by Paula Radclifffe (GBR), followed closely by Gabriela Szabo (ROM) and Sally Barsosio (KEN), with Roberta Brunet of Italy trailing. With her head bobbing from side to side, Radcliffe led a deceptively fast final 1500 (11:49.97 4000m), but failed to resist the final sprint of Szabo who kicked out hard 150 metres from the finish and crossed the line a full second and a half ahead of her. Whilst Szabo marked the 2^nd best mark of the year and retained her chances of a Golden Four jackpot, Radcliffe still finished in a new national record time for Great Britain of 14:45.51. World 10,000m champion Sally Barsosio took third place with 14:46.71.

Surprise in the women’s javelin throw, where world champion Trine Hattestad (NOR) dropped out after a first throw of 58.52 and two fouls, apparently due to the non arrival of her personal javelins in the stadium. The event was won by Russian Tatyana Shikolenko with 67.34.

Frankie Fredericks (NAM) once again delighted the crowd with a win in the 100m where he pipped world champion Maurice Greene (USA) at the post, crossing the line in 9.90. Fredericks looks set to take the jackpot and the kilo lingot in the Golden Four 100m, with only Berlin on 26 August remaining in the series. Tim Montgomery (USA) took third just 2 hundredths behind Greene (9.92-9.94).

With the crowd on its feet and the announcer calling virtually every stride in the evening’s star event , no efforts were spared to drive Haile Gebrselassie to a world record in the 3000m. But to no avail. Running the last 1000 metres alone way out in front of the pack, Gebrselassie finished well off the record set by arch rival and friend (off the track) Daniel Komen last year, but nonetheless marked a season’s best of 7:26.02 ahead of Paul Bitok (KEN). After the race, Jos Hermens, Haile Gebrselassie’s manager said that he was satisfied with the race: "3000m is not really enough for Haile, you can call it his `low limit distance’. For a world record everything has to fit, for sure this is one of the strongest records. When Daniel Komen set it, last year in Rieti, there was more oxygen in the air. This was also the case last year in this stadium after that terrible shower."

Drama in the Men’s 3000m steeplechase at the final water jump. Moses Kiptanui kicked strongly and started to pull in front of world champion and world record holder, Wilson Boit Kipketer who had been leading the race up to that point , a few paces before the jump. Kipketer, unusually, stepped onto the jump barrier and then lost his footing in the water and fell awkwardly, leaving Kiptanui to sprint home to finish in 8:05.35. A game Kipketer still managed to pick himself up and take second place ahead of the third Kenyan of the race Patrick Sang in 8:08.43. The first six places in the race were taken by Kenyan runners.

No such misfortune for the other Wilson Kipketer (DEN), who once again produced a matchless 800m finishing strongly in 1:42.20. "A champion always has to perform," he said after the race, ‘that is my focus. My legs are a little bit tired but in my head I’m very fresh".

A major disappointment of the evening came from the young South African world champion in the javelin throw, Marius Corbett, who could manage no better than 10^th place with 80.52. Britain’s Steve Backley took first place with his first throw of 85.30, followed by Boris Henry of Germany whose 5^th throw gave him 2^nd with 85.18.