Farah Misses Out On Great North Run Win

16 September 2013, 08:03 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Kenenisa Bekele held off a late charge from Mo Farah to win a thrilling Great North Run on Sunday.

The Ethiopian, running his first competitive half marathon, made the break with a mile to go on the course across Newcastle and South Shields, and looked to be heading for a comfortable win.

But the double Olympic and world champion began to chase down the leader over the last 400 metres and was on the heels of Bekele as the finishing line approached, but was unable to find the extra speed needed to pass his opponent. 

That left Bekele to cross the line first in an unofficial time of 60 minutes and eight seconds, with Farah just one second down and distance great Haile Gebrselassie third.

The pre-race build-up had been all about the contest between Farah, Bekele and Gebrselassie, who boast 12 world titles and seven Olympic golds between them.

The women's race was also enthralling, with Kenya's Priscah Jeptoo finishing just four seconds shy of the course record to come home first in 65:44.

Pre-race favourites Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba, both of Ethiopia, had to settle for second and third place, respectively.

British Paralympian David Weir was the winner of the men's wheelchair race, his fourth victory at the Great North Run, in a time of 43:03. Compatriot Shelly Woods landed her fifth Great North title in the women's wheelchair.