Bekele wins record sixth cross-country title

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia won a record sixth title at the world cross-country championships Sunday despite briefly losing a shoe, while Tirunesh Dibaba won the women’s race.

Bekele finished the 7.5-mile race in 34 minutes, 36 seconds, while Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya was second in 34:41, followed by last year’s champion, Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, in 34:43.

The 25-year-old Bekele surpassed the mark of five titles he shared with Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat.

Bekele was leading in muddy conditions when his left shoe came off about seven minutes into the race.

He fell about 25 yards behind the leaders, allowing Tadese to pull ahead, but was able to put his shoe back on and get back into the race.

I was expecting not to win after losing my shoe, Bekele said. But it’s not so tough to get back in the race. If it had been in the last two laps it would have been harder, because I would have been more tired.

Bekele’s compatriot Dibaba won her third world cross-country title.

She finished the five-mile women’s course in 25:10, while fellow Ethiopian Mestawet Tufa was second in 25:15, followed by Linet Chepkwemoi Masai of Kenya in 25:18.

I felt a stitch in the middle of the race and that’s when I fell back, Dibaba said. But it was after I recovered from that that I was able to move to the front.
Bekele wins record sixth cross-country title – found here.