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Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, the king of long distance running, replaced his customary smile with true grit to retain his Olympic crown by the thickness of his vest. Haile, unbeaten over the distance for seven years, ran 27:18.20 seconds for the gold after an epic battle down the final straight with his old rival, Paul Tergat of Kenya. The winning margin - nine hundredths of a second - was the closest finish in the event in Olympic history. It was a truly titanic battle. Assefa Mezgebu (27:19.75) of Ethiopia made it an all-African podium with third place. The women's equivalent brought yet more heartbreak for Britain's Paula Radcliffe. She led from the first, setting a crucifying pace to try and shake off her rivals who possess a faster finish. Right until the last lap she led, but four athletes managed to stay with her and as the bell rang they passed her and her valiant efforts had come to nought. Derartu Tulu went on to win gold with a supremely fast last lap and broke the Olympic record by 44 records - thanks to Radcliffe. Her Ethiopian teammate, Geta Wami, improved on her bronze in the 5000m to grab silver while Fernando Ribeiro of Portugal, the defending champion, claimed bronze. Radcliffe broke her personal best but had nothing to show for an immensely brave run. |
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