Kenya’s Koech Sets Steeplechase Record: 8:05.35

Peter Koech of Kenya broke the world 3,000-meter steeplechase record at the DN Galan International Amateur Athletic Federation Mobil Grand Prix track and field meet.

Koech, the runner-up in last year’s Olympics, beat countryman Henry Rono’s mark with a time of 8 minutes 5.35 seconds. Rono set the mark, one of the oldest in track and field, of 8:05.4 in Seattle 11 years ago.

Carl Lewis also extended his long jump winning streak to 60. Lewis was trailing fellow American Larry Myricks going into his last attempt but soared 28 feet 0 1/4 inch to win.

Mike Conley was third at 26-4 1/4 and Mike Powell, the Olympic silver medalist, was fourth at 26-3.

Koech, who had a 62.3-second last lap, took the lead with about 200 meters to go and outkicked fellow Kenyan Patrick Sang.

“I knew I could break the record if the conditions were right,” said Koech, a 31-year-old former National Collegiate Athletic Assn. champion from Washington State.

Sang was clocked in 8:06.03, with Graeme Fell of Canada third in 8:15.95. Hagen Melzer of East Germany was fourth in 8:16.35 and Brian Diemer, the U.S. champion, was fifth in 8:16.92 in one of history’s fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Arturo Barrios of Mexico won the 10,000 meters in 27:18.45, the fifth-fastest time in history.

PattiSue Plumer was outkicked by East Germany’s Kathrin Ullrich in the 5,000 meters, but she cut nine seconds off Mary Slaney’s U.S. record with a time of 14:57.22, one second behind Ullrich.

It was the first of Slaney’s U.S. records to be broken. Slaney earlier held every U.S. mark from the 800 to the 10,000 meters.

Rodion Gataullin upset fellow Soviet Sergei Bubka in the pole vault by clearing 19-6 1/4.

3,000 STEEPLECHASE WORLD-RECORD PROGRESSION

Mark Name Country Year 8:44.4* Olavi Rinteenpaa Finland 1953 8:49.6 Sandor Rozsnyoi Hungary 1954 8:47.8 Pentti Karvonen Finland 1955 8:45.4 Pentti Karvonen Finland 1955 8:45.4 Vasiliy Vlasyenko USSR 1955 8:41.2* Jerzy Chromik Poland 1955 8:40.2 Jerzy Chromik Poland 1955 8:39.8 Semyon Rzhishchin USSR 1956 8:35.6 Sandor Rozsnyoi Hungary 1956 8:35.6 Semyon Rzhishchin USSR 1958 8:32.0 Jerzy Chromik Poland 1958 8:31.3 Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Poland 1960 8:31.2 Grigoriy Taran USSR 1961 8:30.4 Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Poland 1961 8:29.6 Gaston Roelants Belgium 1963 8:26.4 Gaston Roelants Belgium 1965 8:24.2 Jouko Kuha Finland 1968 8:22.2 Vladimir Dudin USSR 1969 8:21.98 Kerry O’Brien Australia 1970 8:20.8 Anders Garderud Sweden 1972 8:20.8* Ben Jipcho Kenya 1973 8:19.8 Ben Jipcho Kenya 1973 8:13.91 Ben Jipcho Kenya 1973 8:10.4 Anders Garderud Sweden 1975 8:09.70 Anders Garderud Sweden 1975 8:08.02 Anders Garderud Sweden 1976 8:05.4 Henry Rono Kenya 1978 8:05.35 Peter Koech Kenya 1989

*--Mark never ratified by the International Amateur Athletic

Federation but considered statistically valid.