WILSON KIPKETER who equalled Sebastian Coe's 16-year-old world 800 metres record of one minute 41.73 seconds in Stockholm on Monday, left Sweden yesterday morning refusing to reveal when he will attempt to sever Britain's last link with its middle-distance empire of the 1980s.

The record has been British property since 1979 when Coe succeeded the Cuban Alberto Juantorena with a run of 1:42.33 in Oslo, clocking the current time in Florence two years later. While the 1,500m and mile have long since passed out of English hands, the 800m record had repelled all- comers.

The pressure is now on the 26-year-old Kipketer to erase the oldest standing mark in the record books. "I think he is capable of running inside 1:40," said Steve Cram, the former world record holder for the 1,500m and mile.

Kipketer, though, was pleading to be allowed to savour his achievement for at least one day before beginning to prepare to defend his world title in Athens next month. "For the moment I want to enjoy this," he said. "It has been the best day of my life."

Having twice broken the indoor mark during the world indoor championships in Paris in March, it is not inconceivable he could do the same in Athens. But it is more likely-Kipketer will make a serious, attempt at Zurich - after the world championships.

Kipketer's potential was first spotted as a teenager to years ago by Kip Keino, Kenya's legendary Olympic champion. He recommended him to Father Colm O'Connell, the Irish priest who runs St Patrick's, the school in Iten, in the Rift Valley, which has nurtured so many world class runners.

But Keino, who was sponsoring several other promising young runners at the school, could not afford to support another one and it was agreed Kipketer could have a place if he agreed to paint the walls during the summer holidays.

His studies took him to Denmark in 1990. He originally visited Copenhagen to take up a course in electronic engineering at the local university as an exchange student, but was made so welcome in the country he has never left. But, because he will not officially qualify for a Danish passport until next December, he needs special dispensation to compete for his new country. When the Kenyans denied him permission to go to the Olympics it nearly sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries. It meant Kipketer was reduced to the role of spectator as he watched Vebjorn Rodal of Norway take the gold medal that he must have thought had his name on it. But justice was done on Monday.