Abebe Bikila 1960, 64& Feyisa Lilesa 2016

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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Dibaba, Bekele win Great Manchester Runs

Great Britain's Gemma Steel came home second following a sprint finish at the Great Manchester Run on Sunday morning. Tirunesh Dibaba won the women's race with Kenenisa Bekele taking the men's.


Great Britain's Gemma Steel (left) who finished second, Winner Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba and third placed Kenya's Polline Wanjiku (right)


Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba gave Ethiopia a famous one-two in Sunday’s Bupa Great Manchester Run 10K.
Triple Olympic gold medallist Dibaba led home the elite women’s field in 31 minutes 09 seconds.
Bekele, also a three-time Olympic champion, edged out Kenyan rival Wilson Kipsang after a thrilling elite men’s race with a time of 28 mins 23 seconds
Just five seconds separated the African stars at the finish on Deansgate while defending champion Dibaba enjoyed a 61 seconds winning margin on Britain’s Gemma Steel.
In gloriously sunny but blustery conditions neither 2014 champion managed to break the respective course records of 27:21 (Micah Kogo, 2007) and Dibaba’s 2013 time of 30:49 seconds.
GB star Nick McCormick, a winner of the Trafford 10K road race earlier this year, was the leading home finisher in sixth place, clocking 29 mins 21 seconds.
Sale Harriers Manchester runner, Anthony Ford,  was the top local finisher in 30 mins 18 seconds while 2014 Manchester Marathon winner, Andi Jones, of Stockport Harriers was 28th in 31:21.
Preston Harrier Helen Clitheroe was second Brit in sixth as she chases a place at this summer’s Commonwealth Games while Salford Harrier Tessa Walker, 22nd overall, was top local female finisher in 37 mins 15 seconds.
Cumbrian Simon Lawson became a three-time winner of the wheelchair race. The 12th edition of Europe’s largest 10K road race was started by Bolton boxing star, Amir Khan.

Former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville was among the 40,000 entrants and admitted he struggled midway through the run before he finished in 45:58.
The 37-year-old former England international, said: "I started off too fast. From 4km to 7km I was struggling.
"I was actually looking for an ambulance at one point."

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