It had been 28 years since a m a n h a d w o n t h e l o n g -distance double at the Olympic Games, but just 24 hours since a woman achieved the feat. With a tremendous trademark kick, Kenenisa Bekele joined the legends. Bekele followed the feats of his Ethiopian teammate Tirunesh Dibaba the night before with a brilliant performance in the 5,000m final to succeed his fellow countryman Miruts Yifter in Moscow in 1980. “It is very special to me,” he said. When Haile Gebrselassie was dominating world distance-running for eight years, Bekele, 26, was gradually emerging onto the scene.

Even Gebrselassie said he could become the best of all the Ethiopians and there is little more that he can do to have that questioned. His triumph last night came with an astonishing injection of pace on the last lap that turned the race into a one-man show. It was Bekele’s third Olympic gold - he won the 10,000m in Athens four years ago - to sit alongside his three world titles, world records at 5,000m and 10,000m and 12 world cross-country titles. Achieving his first major gold at 5,000m elevates him to another level. “I am happy, I am feeling good,” said Bekele. “It was a fantastic race and a fantastic day. I had just enough, I was tired.”

With 2,200m left of a race in which Bekele was always keen to make his mark, he slowly increased the pace, and that is where his brilliance lies. He can toy with his rivals. By the bell, only Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Edwin Soi remained with him. It did not last long. In a flash, he was away, producing a staggering 53sec last lap to win in an Olympic record of 12min 57.82sec. Kipchoge was second in 13:02.80 with Soi third in 13:06.22.