The King is back! Kenenisa Bekele beaten Mo Farah in Great North Run thriller

Mo Farah beaten by Kenenisa Bekele in Great North Run thriller

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele saw off double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah’s late surge to win the Great North Run in a thrilling sprint finish.

Farah chased down Bekele in the final 400m to set up a nail-biting finale but the Briton had to settle for second.

Another Ethiopian, Haile Gerselassie, was a distant third after falling behind in the last of the 13.1 miles.

Earlier, MO FARAH has been warned he faces a record-breaking war to be regarded as the best distance runner of all time.

Farah has Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele to beat in the BUPA Great North Run tomorrow and it will not be the last time they meet each other in epic battles.Bekele, 31, has been recovering from injuries while Farah has been dominating on the track with his Olympic and world championship golden double. But Bekele still leads Farah with eight Olympic and world titles to Farah’s five, and Bekele holds both the 10,000m and 5,000m world records.

“Farah will be a big rival of mine for many years,” said Bekele. “He is a great athlete, but when I am fit, I think I am the best.”Haile Gebrselassie completes a star-studded field for the half-marathon and Farah said: “It will be a special race.”

Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo came close to breaking the course record as she ran magnificently to win the women’s race.

Jeptoo, this year’s London marathon winner and the reigning Olympic marathon silver medallist, clocked a time only five seconds slower than the 65 minutes 40 seconds which was recorded 10 years ago by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe.

Defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba broke the Ethiopian record as she crossed the line behind Jeptoo in 66.09 but ahead of compatriot Meseret Defar, the reigning world and Olympic champion over 5,000m.

To his left, the mighty Kenenisa Bekele was saluting him as the best runner in the world; to his right, the icon Haile Gebrselassie was suggesting our Mo was already every bit as great as him.