It was a run that would have brought him a medal at last summer's world championships in Osaka, but Haile Gebrselassie was not being so presumptuous.

As he crossed the line in Hengelo, smiling and offering a thumbs-up for the cameras, he found himself in a strange position: on a track in the Netherlands where he had broken numerous world records, this time he was in second place but no one would forget this runner-up.

"I have achieved my goal," said Gebrselassie after the clock registered 26:51.20 for his most important 10,000m in almost four years. "I wanted to run under 27 minutes. The time was good if it allows me to go to Beijing. But it is not decided yet. The choice of my federation depends on other athletes. You never know. If others run faster, they will not take me. We must wait for the next 10,000m in Eugene or Berlin."