EUGENE: Britain’s double Olympic champion Mohamed Farah surged into the lead with 60 metres remaining to claim victory in the fastest 10,000 metres of the year at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League on Friday.

Farah shook off a valiant challenge by Kenyan William Sitonik to win his first outdoor race of the year and kept alive a five-year winning streak at the distance as he clocked an Olympic-qualifying time of 26 minutes, 53.71 seconds.

“I don’t want to lose here,” said the Briton, who trains in nearby Portland, Oregon.

Sitonik finished second in a lifetime best 26:54.66 with Ethiopian Tamari Toga third in 26:57.33 as five runners broke 27 minutes.

Farah’s time was 26 seconds faster than the previous best time of the season set by Ethiopia’s Leul Gebrselassie (27.19.71).

Farah, who said he was in great shape, stayed near the front until slightly past mid-race before dropping a little behind the leaders.

He worked his way back to the head of affairs with less than three laps to go and led at the bell before the 22-year-old Sitonik, the 2012 5,000 metres world junior bronze medallist, surged past Farah with 250 metres remaining.

In another highlight, US world champion Joe Kovacs uncorked the three longest outdoor throws of the year to win the shot put, hitting 22.13 metres on his final attempt to easily beat runner-up Tom Walsh of New Zealand who had a 20.84.

Kovacs finished a heart-breaking fourth in the 2012 US trials to miss the Olympic team but is hoping things will be different this year.

Hellen Obiri led a Kenyan sweep in the women’s 5,000 metres with a modest time of 14:32.02.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2016