Bekele doubles up for remarkable fifth time

Cross Country: Probably the most incredible scene in the history of world cross-country running occurred yesterday in a windswept seaside park in Fukuoka, Japan. Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele eased across the finishing line of the 12km long-course race, and without breaking stride, held up both hands and counted out the numbers one to 10.

Bekele had just collected his fifth successive long-course, short-course double, pulling away on the last of the six laps, and thus adding to the 4km short-course race title he had retained 24 hours earlier.

Ten gold medals in five years. Along with team and junior titles, he now has 18 gold medals from the World Cross Country, despite his relatively tender age of 23. Afterwards, Bekele strongly hinted he probably wouldn't race cross-country again, at least not for a few years.

Bekele's feat was extra significant in that he pulled it off in the last year of the short-course race - the event reverts to the single, long-course race next year.

He had covered the 12 kilometres in 35:40, his winning margin eventually just three seconds from team-mate Sileshi Sihine. But there was never any doubt about the winner.

The bronze medal went to the Japan-based Kenyan Martin Mathathi (35:44), who outsprinted Eritrea's Zersenay Tadesse, the man who had worked hardest to break Bekele and yet ended up without a medal.

As expected, the smallest Irish team in the history of the event had minimal impact on the results. Rosemary Ryan ran as well as hoped considering her recent return from a long lay-off, finishing 47th in the senior 8km long-course race. Yet her time of 27:35 left her over two minutes behind Ethiopia's repeat winner, Tirunesh Dibaba.

Dublin's Vinnie Mulvey found himself over two minutes behind Bekele in the 12km race, his 56th position coming in 37:58.

Earlier, Belfast's Stephen Scullion had finished 84th in the junior men's race, while Dublin's Sara Treacy ran bravely to take 70th position in the junior women's race.

Bekele's weekend was completed with the team bronze medals.

Tadesse led the Eritrean squad to team silver behind the Kenyans, who placed their scoring four in the top 10.