Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj failed in his attempt to set a world 2,000 metres record on Friday at the final Golden League meeting of the season but won the race to secure a share of the $470,000 jackpot. El Guerrouj, who was aiming to beat the mark he set in the rarely-run distance two years ago in Berlin, won in four minutes 51.17 seconds, some six seconds off his world record of 4:44.79.
El Guerrouj, triple world champion in the 1,500 metres, was on world record pace on the first three laps in front of a crowd of 41,000 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. But he slowed considerably on the final two laps. The weather conditions were nearly ideal. El Guerrouj also holds the world record for the mile and the 1,500 metres.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
