Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie won the inaugural 15-kilometer Great Australian Run in 42 minutes, 40 seconds yesterday. Beijing Olympic marathon silver medalist and former world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won the women's race in 50:43.

New Zealand's Alice Mason was second in 51:27 and Australian Lisa-Jane Weightman third in 51:31. Gebrselassie, 35, who has struggled with jetlag since arriving in Melbourne from Addis Ababa on Friday, broke clear of Kenyan Patrick Makau with four kilometers to go. Makau was second in 43:15, while Collis Birmingham overtook fellow Australian Craig Mottram to claim third place in 43:35.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily December 1, 2008)