Belaneh Densimo of Ethiopia failed in his...

Belaneh Densimo of Ethiopia failed in his announced attempt to break his own world marathon record, but won the 1989 Rotterdam Marathon in 2 hours 8 minutes 39 seconds. He set the record of 2:06:50 at Rotterdam last year.

The 22-year-old policeman from Addis Ababa said warmer weather than expected and no pressure from runner-up Alejandro Cruz of Mexico late in the race kept him from bettering the record.

Cruz finished second in 2:09:24, followed by Marti ten Kate of the Netherlands in 2:10:03.