Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele became the first man to win the world cross country championship long course title six times when he led home an Ethiopian clean sweep of the four individual gold medals.

Bekele took his remarkable tally to 11 senior world cross titles in all and gained ample revenge for his surprise defeat by Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese last year when he blasted clear on the final lap of the 12km course to finish ahead of Kenyan outsider Leonard Patrick Komon with Tadese third.

Tirunesh Dibaba, champion in 2005 and 2006, took the women's race following success for her younger sister Genzebe in the junior women's race and a win for Ibrahim Jeilan in the junior men's event.

Ethiopia won two of the four team golds, Kenya spoiling the card with success in both men's events, to complete a glorious comeback after their disappointment of last season when the heat of Mombasa contributed to their worst performance for years.

It was the first time Ethiopia have won all four individual golds, and the first clean sweep since Kenya achieved the feat in 1994.

"Last year as individuals and a team we didn't do well and let our country down but I believe we have redeemed ourselves," said Dibaba, who finished ahead of compatriot Mestawet Tufa and 18-year-old Kenyan Linet Chepkweomi Masai.

Bekele, the Olympic and triple world champion over 10,000 metres on the track, had won both the long and, now discontinued, short course world titles five years in a row until he dropped out during last year's race and was desperate to make amends in Edinburgh, where he beat Tadese over the same course in January.

He suffered an early setback when another runner clipped his heel, forcing him to stop and put his shoe back on, but he kept calm to ease his way back towards the leaders.

Tadese tried to stretch things out by setting a hot early pace and it paid off in as much as a group of four broke well clear of the pack.

But Bekele, still only 25, had plenty in the tank and showed his class when he pulled clear approaching the last of six laps.

By the time he climbed the gruelling, twisting Haggis Knowe Hill for the final time he was 20 metres clear and roared home in a comfortable 34 minutes, 38 minutes for an awesome victory.

"It was very tough," he told a news conference. "In a group you cannot control your legs and maybe somebody might touch you and your shoe comes off, but it was near the beginning of the race and I wasn't tired and was able to recover."

His victory took him ahead of Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat, who both won five long course titles, and underlined his position as the dominant force in distance running on or off the track.

"It's not easy," he said. "I've won double gold medals five times at this competition but this one was very special for me. Everybody all over the world was expecting me to win."

Komon, 20, said the step up from the junior ranks, where he won silver two years ago, was tough, as were the Scottish conditions.

"It was hard to breathe because of the cold and wind, it was like I was choking on my breath, said the Kenyan, the youngest of 14 children.

Dibaba, upset by Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat in Mombasa last year, timed her run expertly over the women's 8km course, piling on the pressure on Haggis Knowe to break a leading pack of four then driving home to finish in 25.10.

The four-times track world champion had arrived in Scotland with little racing behind her and doubts over her fitness but she was an impressive winner ahead of compatriot Mestawet Tufa and 18-year-old Kenyan Linet Chepkweomi Masai.

"I felt a stitch in the middle of the race and that's when I fell back but I recovered and was able to move to the front," said Dibaba.

"But I'm happier for my sister's achievement than my own."

Reuters