Ethiopians Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba won the elite men’s and women’s races at the Bupa Great Manchester Run in the North West of England on Sunday.
[link id=”220″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Kenenisa Bekele”], making his British 10km road running debut, was matched by Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang until the closing stages but a late burst of acceleration in the final 400m earned him victory in 28 minutes and 23 seconds.
[link id=”299″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Wilson Kipsang”], marathon world record-holder and [link id=”7998″ text=”winner of the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon”] finished second five seconds back while South African’s Stephen Mokoko clocked 29:11 for third.
[link id=”249″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Tirunesh Dibaba”], the reigning World and Olympic champion at 10,000m from [link id=”82″ tax=”category” text=”Ethiopia”], earned a comfortable victory in the women’s competition, finishing the 10km course in 31:09 ahead of Britain’s Gemma Steel (32:10) and Kenyan Polline Wanjiku Njeru (32:10)
The 28-year-old Ethiopian time of 31:09 was some way off the 30:49 course record she set when winning the Bupa Great Manchester Run last year.
The 2014 [link id=”77″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Bupa Great Manchester Run”] started in Portland Street, near the junction with Oxford Street, before heading out toward Old Trafford and back to the city centre with a triumphant finish on Deansgate.
Selected Results
Men:
- Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 28:23
- Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) 28:28
- Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) 29:11
- Ayad Lamdassem (Morocco / Spain) 29:17
- Abdellatif Meftah (Morocco / France) 29:18
- Nick Mccormick (Morpeth Harriers) 29:21
Women:
- Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) 31:09
- Polline Wanjiku (Kenya / Run Fast) 32:10
- Gemma Steel (GBR / Charnwood AC) 32:10
- Christelle Daunay (France) 32:20
- Ana Dulce Felix (Portugal) 32:54
- Helen Clitheroe (GBR / Preston Harriers) 33:21
Meet The Authors
Yomog Meje is a former Nigerian junior athlete and the Associate editor at Athletics Africa.
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