Little king of distance running set to reign on

ATHLETICS: If the World Indoor Championships carry any measure of greatness then the one race that stands above the rest is tomorrow's 3,000 metres final for men, and entirely because of one athlete - Haile Gebrselassie.

Of all the past indoor champions Gebrselassie probably had the least reason to come to Birmingham this weekend. His reign as king of distance running is undisputed and many of his world records won't be broken for many years yet. At 29 why bother going for another title he hardly needs. A third Olympics, and the great marathon he promises, still beckon.

Less than a year ago his confidence suffered after his first marathon attempt in London, where he finished an unceremonious third. Several months of injury followed, and at times many of his supporters in Ethiopia wondered if his days on the throne were numbered.

Then he returned to Birmingham's indoor arena last month, the scene of his world 5,000 metres record four years previously. In a little over eight minutes of running he laid down his law again. Five seconds off the world two-mile record, and another big smile to go with it. And on that sort of form why not go for another title?

So to yesterday's heats of the 3,000 metres. Gebrselassie did all he needed to and won the first heat in seven minutes, 51.43 seconds. Heat two was a little quicker, with Kenya's Luke Kipkosgei winning in 7:47.50.

Only one question surrounds tomorrow's final. Can anyone beat Gebrselassie, and more importantly how? Truth is, at least four other runners genuinely think they can.

The man most likely to surprise is Alberto Garcia, the 32-year-old from Madrid who has only raced twice this season, but twice broke European records - at 3,000 and 5,000 metres. He's the European champion from Munich last summer (at 5,000 metres) and though not much taller than the Ethiopian he delivers an equally ferocious finishing kick. And he doesn't have to wait around to deliver it.

As Gebrselassie smiled his way through the mixed zone, stopping at every available microphone, he answered at least a dozen inquiries about Garcia. "Sure he's a great runner, with very fast times," he said. "But there are the Kenyans and the Moroccans to beat. And another Ethiopian as well. But I'm confident. So we'll see."

Indoor running fully embraces the efficient, floating style of Gebrselassie. It also offers close-up views of the incredible power he draws from his child-like frame.

Four years ago at the World Indoors in Maebashi, Japan, he won the 1,500-3,000 metres double. That was deemed the most difficult combination of distances, yet because it was Gebrselassie it didn't seem all that remarkable.

Win or lose, tomorrow's final is a stop on the way to Paris in August, where he wants to regain the world 10,000 metres title taken from him by a Kenyan in Edmonton two years. And his absence from this level of track running for a while doesn't bother him.

In fact part of his comeback from marathon training involved running on a treadmill in front of a mirror, thus ensuring his bouncing style was fully regained. "Yes," he smiled again. "It's all okay for me now because it was only one year."

Another former champion in Birmingham this weekend is Colin Jackson, the 60 metre hurdles champion of 1999. But after a career that has spanned 18 years and seen him collect 25 major championship medals in the hurdles, the 36-year-old Jackson will race for the last time in a British vest.

The organisers pulled a few strings and scheduled the 60 metres hurdles final for 4.40 p.m. tomorrow - the final track event before the relays, the idea being that Jackson can go out like an electrical storm.

Assuming Jackson gets through today's heats and semi-finals, then certainly there would be no more popular winner in the arena tomorrow. The only problem is Jackson is unlikely to win.

The American favourite, Allen Johnson, has clocked a faster time this season. The Cuban Anier Garcia, the champion of 1997, has the ability to surprise them all and the best Jackson can hope for is a medal.

Of the few finals decided on the opening day, the men's 60 metres final was by far the most intriguing. Not least because of the controversy surrounding it. Justin Gatlin, the 21-year-old former American junior champion, had the fastest time in the world this season and duly collected the gold medal in 6.46 seconds.

In the summer of 2001, however, and while still a junior, Brooklyn-born Gatlin tested positive for amphetamines. The IAAF imposed their two-year suspension, only for Gatlin to get it shortened by proving he used the drug as a prescribed medication for his ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). The concentration he displayed in the blocks and the power he displayed right from the start last night did not suggest any attention disorder and the race was largely over in the opening strides.

The women's 60 metre title went in equally convincing fashion to Zhanna Block of the Ukraine, who clocked a season's best of 7.04 seconds. As reigning outdoor 100 metre champion from Edmonton in 2001, she is now - in theory at least - the fastest women on earth. For Marion Jones, who has passed on the entire indoor season, that fact won't have gone unnoticed.

Fourth in the race was 42-year-old Merlene Ottey, now running for Slovenia, but the former Jamaican runner certainly still looks the part of the athlete who holds a record seven Olympic sprint medals.