Athletics: Radcliffe succumbs to Ethiopia's Wami

Britain's Paula Radcliffe lost out in a private duel with Gete Wami in Brussels yesterday, and had to be content with second place in the opening round of the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Cross Challenge series.

Wami, the 1996 world cross-country champion, fought hard with Radcliffe in what was effectively a two-horse race, but the Ethiopian pulled clear in the last of the six kilometres to win in 20min 45sec. Wami's compatriot, Kutre Dulecha, finished in third place.

There was a surprise winner in the men's race, the little-known Kenyan, James Mioben winning the 10.5-kilometre race in 33min 07sec, with his compatriots Thomas Nyariki and Paul Kosgei finishing second and third.

The Spanish-based runner burst from the seven-man leading group on the final lap around the Brussels park, next to the Atomium landmark. The European champion, Carsten Jorgensen, was back in fifth place, 11 seconds behind Moiben, while the reigning world champion, Paul Tergat, managed only seventh place.

Tergat, who is also the holder of the 10,000 metres world record on the track, struggled to stay up with the leaders and fell away in the final two kilometres.