Haile Gebrselassie calls off retirement

Marathon world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie, has changed his mind about retiring from athletics, just over a week after he called it a day.



The 37-year-old initially stated he was quitting after dropping out of his first New York Marathon at the 16-mile mark with a knee injury on November 7, 2010.



However, Gebrselassie revealed on his Twitter page yesterday that he would continue to run.



Gebrselassie says he will focus on his next race when his knee is well again.



Gebrselassie, who won the Olympic 10,000-metre titles in 1996 and 2000, says his announcement in New York was his first reaction after a disappointing race.



He holds the marathon world record of two hours, three minutes, 59 seconds.