Bekele was able to outsprint Shaheen to defend his title

Shaheen, the world 3,000m steeplechase champion, looked set to inflict a shock defeat on Bekele when he sprinted for home on the final kilometre.

However, the Olympic and world 10,000m champion responded and finally overtook the tiring Shaheen in the final stages.

Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea finished in third place.

"Yes it hurt, it was a hard race and he made me work with everything I had for the win," said Bekele, who has never lost a senior cross-country race.

Britain's Nick McCormick delivered another strong display of front running to defend his 4km title.

The 24-year-old survived a fall in the opening stages but quickly regained his lead to finish ahead of Briton Michael Skinner and Hungary's Barnabas Bene.

"It was tighter than I thought it would be," McCormick told BBC Sport.

"Now my next target is the 1500m in the Commonwealth Games where I think I have a realistic chance of doing well."

Gelete Burka shocked double world champion Tirunesh Dibaba to claim the women's 6km at Holyrood Park.

Defending champion Dibaba, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m in Helsinki, was the red-hot favourite but struggled over the hills and never really got going.

Burka, the Ethiopian world junior cross country champion, accelerated away from the field to win in 19 minutes flat.

Kenyan Isabella Ochichi was 12 seconds behind in silver with Dibaba back in third.

Hayley Yelling was the first Briton home in 20:06, edging out local favourite Kathy Butler and Helen Clitheroe.