Fukuoka(Japan): Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele completed a historic double victory by winning the men's 12-kilometre race at the World Cross Country Championships on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Bekele, the winner of the four-kilometre race on Saturday, made a sparkling break away from a group of front runners to cross the finishing line in 35 minutes 40 seconds.
Compatriot Sileshi Sihine was second in 35:43, followed by Martin Irungu Mathathi of Kenya third in 35:44.
It is the fifth successive time that he has taken both titles, equalling the feat of Kenyan Paul Tegrat, the marathon record holder who triumphed five years in a row from 1995.
It was the last chance for Bekele, the winner of the junior gold and short-course silver in 2001, to win a double victory as the short races for both men and women will be dropped from the programme next year.
Bekele has set the 5,000m and 10,000m world records in the last two years and became the Olympic and world champion in the 10,000m before adding the world indoor title in the 3,000m earlier this month.
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