Legend Gebrselassie quits as injury forces retirement in New York

Gebrselassie, who has been a dominant force in distance running for the last two decades, made the decision after he limped out of the ING New York Marathon with a knee injury.

Gebrselassie – who has won more than 130 major races in his career – battled an impoverished upbringing to grab the attention of the world when won the 10,000m at the World Championships in Stuttgart at the age of 20.

Three more victories at the same event, and Olympic Gold at Sydney and Atlanta, would cement his claim as one of the leading athletes in the world.

Countryman Gebre Gebremarium stormed to victory ahead of Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai on his first appearance in the Big Apple.

There were no medals for Leeds City at the English Cross Country Relays at Mansfield on Saturday which was won by Bedford.

The Leeds top squad could only manage 19th, while their B team were ahead in 14th place and their C team was not far behind finishing 26th out of 140 teams.

James Wilkinson was the fastest Leeds runner with 15:07 on the last leg, a time beaten by only six runners in the whole race. Alan Buckley (15:38) also did a good time on the opening leg.

Bingley did well to finish sixth in the women's three stage relay with Leeds City close behind in ninth place. Susan Partridge, running last for Leeds, clocked 10:04, seventh fastest of the race.

John Heneghan (Sheffield Running Club) and Nikki Squires (Hallamshire) were easy winners in the second South Yorkshire Cross Country League fixture at the Northern Racing College, Doncaster.

Former Yorkshire Champion Heneghan stretching his winning margin over junior Adam Newton (Sheffield Hallam University) to over a minute.

Squires had an even bigger margin over her Hallamshire team-mate Calli Thackery, 17, to take the women's race.