On March 20, 2005 Kenenisa Bekele added the 12km title to his 4km crown at the World Cross Country Championships as he completed his return to form in stunning fashion. The Ethiopian Olympic 10,000m champion went stride-for-stride with Eliud Kipchoge for much of the race in France before breaking away on the final lap. Bekele clocked 35 minutes, 08 seconds ahead of Zersenay Tadesse, with Kipchoge run out of the places. Bekele, 22, has now won both titles for a record fourth straight year.

Track and Field News year-ending issue has hit the streets in all its glory, with distance superstar Kenenisa Bekele and vaulter nonpareil Yelena Isinbayeva once again being chosen as Athletes Of The Year.
Ethiopian distance star Kenenisa Bekele has been named the 2004 Men's World Athlete Of The Year by Track & Field News. The setter of new World Records in both the 5000 and 10,000 during the Olympic year, the 22-year-old Bekele went onto win Athens gold in the 10,000 and silver in the 5000. He received 26 of 39 first-place votes in racking up a convincing win over three-time No. 1 Hicham El Guerrou