Gebrselassie hints at change of mind over retirement

(AP)

Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie appears to be re-considering his decision to retire from athletics. The 37-year-old tearfully announced his retirement from the sport after pulling out of Sunday's New York Marathon with 10 miles remaining due to a knee injury.

The double Olympic gold medallist, regarded by many as the greatest long-distance runner of all time, was adamant that the time was right to end his career, telling a press conference: "I'm not going to run anymore. It's better to stop here."

The Ethiopian made the decision without consulting any of his coaching staff and hinted that he may be about to make a u-turn after posting two messages on Twitter yesterday.

"What a disappointing weekend, I didn't plan to come back to Ethiopia this way. I wanted to succeed in New York," Gebrselassie wrote after returning to his homeland. "Now it is time for me to think about a lot of things. I still love running. I will always run. Just give me some time to think things over."

Compatriot Gebre Gebremariam, who won the men's race in New York in a time of two hours, eight minutes and 14 seconds, thinks Gebrselassie made the decision in the heat of the moment and is confident that he will race again.

He said: "When I get back home I will speak to him to try to make him think again. He has to run two or three more races. I think he will change his mind."