(BBC Sport) Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele saw off the challenge of Wilson Kipsang to take victory at the Great Manchester Run.
The 5,000m and 10,000m world record holder ran in 28 minutes and 23 seconds with marathon world record holder Kipsang of Kenya five seconds back.
World and Olympic 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba earned a comfortable victory in the women’s competition, finishing the 10km course in 31:09.
Britain’s Gemma Steel was second, more than a minute behind Ethiopian Dibaba.
Polline Wanjiku closely challenged Steel on the line, but vocal support saw the 28-year-old run home ahead of the Kenyan in 32:10.
“That really lifted me, I was fighting for that silver and it’s good to see that I can sprint when I have to,” Steel told BBC Sport.
“It’s good to establish myself in these races again, I feel at home in them. To come back and finish behind Dibaba, who is the best in the world, you can’t complain about that.”
Three-time Olympic champion Bekele, making his British 10k road debut, was matched by Kipsang until the closing stages but a late burst of acceleration in the final 400m earned him victory. South African Stephen Mokoko was third.
Among the 40,000 entrants at Europe’s biggest 10km running event were former footballers Phil Neville, Michael Gray and Robbie Savage, soap stars Julie Hesmondhalgh and Denise Welch, and former snooker world champion Shaun Murphy.
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