BERLIN MARATHON:HAILE GEBRSELASSIE raised the bar of his already distinguished career by taking his own world marathon record under two hours four minutes in Berlin yesterday morning.

Gebrselassie put in an astonishing performance to run two hours three minutes 59 seconds in a showing that will rank alongside two Olympic and four world championship 10,000-metre gold medals and numerous other world records he has claimed during his 15-year international career.

And the 35-year-old believes he - and others - can shave even more time off his new record.

"I can run 2:3:30 or something like that. It is possible, but now I'm running against my age as well," said the Ethiopian.

"This is just a record and tomorrow someone can break it. There are so many good runners and I suppose I will just have to run faster."

Wearing his distinctive yellow vest and yellow shoes, he was inside the required pace from the start and at the halfway stage was already 25 seconds faster than his split time last year.

Gebrselassie, who did not run the marathon at last month's Beijing Olympics because of concerns about pollution, dropped his final challenger, the Kenyan James Kwambai, with around six kilometres left.

Gebrselassie's preparation for the event was affected by a calf-muscle cramp but he said the perfect weather and the support of the crowd helped him make light of the problem.

Gebrselassie claimed the Berlin title for the third successive year in emphatic fashion.

Relishing the perfect conditions and pacemaking assistance, he roared to the line as massive crowds applauded his phenomenal display in the German capital, smashing his previous record of 2:04:26, set 12 months ago.

Kwambai was also a revelation as he lowered his personal best by over five minutes to 2:05:36, with his Kenyan compatriot Charles Kamathi third in 2:07:48.

"What can you say?" said Gebrselassie. "The pacemaking from the beginning to the end was perfect and I have never seen weather like this. It just happens once in a lifetime."

Irina Mikitenko, who missed the Olympic marathon with a back injury, became the first German winner of the women's race since Utta Pippig in 1995.

The 36-year-old added another success to her win last April in the London Marathon, clocked in with a time of 2:19:19.

MEN

1 H Gebrselassie (Eth) 2:03:59

2 J Kwambai (Ken) 2:05:36

3 C Kamathi (Ken) 2:07:48

WOMEN

1 I Mikitenko (Ger) 2:19:19

2 A Tafa (Eth) 2:21:31

3 H Kiprop (Ken) 2:25:01