BERLIN: Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie won the 33rd Berlin marathon early Sunday in the world's best time of the year but was left frustrated at not claiming the world record.
The double Olympic 10,000m champion clocked 2hr 5min 56sec to beat the best marathon time of 2006 up till then, the 2hr 6min 38sec of Kenya's Sammy Korir in Rotterdam in April.
Gebrselassie's performance was also the seventh best time ever and was his personal best in the fourth marathon of his career.
But the 33-year-old Ethiopian was frustrated at missing the chance to break Kenyan Paul Tergat's world record of 2hr 4min 55sec. Tergat set the record in this race back in September 2003.
"I had the chance for the world record but the last five kilometres really hurt and I could not push on," Gebrselassie said. "It was too windy for a better time but I will break the record at some stage."
