 Bekele is the world and Olympic champion at 10,000m |
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele has won both the short and long course races at the World Cross Country Championships for a fifth successive time in Fukuoka. Bekele, the Olympic and world 10,000m champion, added the 12km title to the 4km title he won on Saturday.
Bekele clocked 35 minutes 40 seconds, ahead of compatriot Sileshi Sihine and Kenya's Martin Irungu Mathathi.
Ethiopia's Gelete Bati won the women's 4km, ahead of Kenya's Priscah Ngetich and Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu.
Bekele's feat equalled that of Kenya's Paul Tergat, who triumphed five years in a row from 1995.
On Saturday, he broke away from the pack after the last turn to finish the 4km race in 10 minutes, 54 seconds.
Kenya's Isaac Kiprono Songok was second and Morocco's Adil Kaouch third.
The short races for both women and men being will be dropped in Mombassa, Kenya next year.
Pre-race favourite for the women's short course race, 8km champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, failed to finish on Sunday.
Dibaba had aimed to become the first woman to win the long and short races for two consecutive years.
On Saturday, she covered the 8km course in 25:21secs to finish ahead of Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands and Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu.
MMIX
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