Great Manchester Run: Gemma Steel sprints to second place behind Tirunesh Dibaba
Gemma Steel claimed an impressive second place behind Tirunesh Dibaba in the Great Manchester Run.
Last Updated: 18/05/14 1:34pm
The British runner, who was fourth in Europe's biggest 10km cross-country race last year, held off Kenya's Polline Wanjiku in a sprint finish to claim silver in a time of 32 minutes and 10 seconds.
World and Olympic 10,000m champion Dibaba was in a class of her own as the Ethiopian cruised to victory over a minute ahead of Steel, who was encouraged by her performance.
The 28-year-old said: "That really lifted me, I was fighting for that silver and it's good to see that I can sprint when I have to.
"It's good to establish myself in these races again, I feel at home in them. To come back and finish behind Dibaba, who is the best in the world, you can't complain about that."
Bekele victory
Dibaba's compatriot Kenenisa Bekele was too strong for marathon specialist Wilson Kipsang as he claimed victory in the men's event.
Bekele, the world record holder at 5,000m and 10,000m, crossed the line in 28 minutes and 23 seconds - five seconds ahead of Kenya's Kipsang with South Africa's Stephen Mokoko taking third.
Former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville was among the 40,000 runners, and he admitted he struggled midway through the race before finishing in 45:58.
The former England international said: "I started off too fast. From 4km to 7km I was struggling.
"I was actually looking for an ambulance at one point."
