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By Bob Ramsak
World cross country champion Kenenisa Bekele will return to defend his Great Edinburgh International Cross Country crown on January 13 in the Scottish capital, where he’s set to face Australian Craig Mottram, organizers announced today.
Bekele, who last April collected an unprecedented fifth consecutive double victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, will likely face Mottram for the first time since the Australian’s shock victory over the Ethiopian at the IAAF World Cup in Athens in September. There, Mottram convincingly out-maneuvered Bekele to defend his World Cup title in the 3000 meters.
"It's a very tasty head-to-head,” said the race’s elite athlete director, Matthew Turnbull. "Both know they will be facing each other but at the same time are well aware there will be several other global stars drafted in to make the race even more competitive."
"Kenenisa knows we're planning to host another strength-in-depth nine kilometer race again in the New Year and was delighted to accept an invitation to return to Edinburgh."
Mottram has competed once in the Edinburgh race, finishing ninth in a deep international field in 2005.
The venue at Holyrood Park was recently selected to host the 2008 edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
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