Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele emulated female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba in claiming a rare long-distance double here on Saturday when he won the 5000m to add to his 10,000m Olympic crown.
His triumph was the first such men's double since compatriot Miruts Yifter's feat over the same events at the 1980 Moscow Games. Dibaba's double over the same distance had been a landmark for women athletes.
Bekele, the world record holder in both the 5000m and 10,000m who claimed silver in the 5km behind Hicham El Guerrouj in 2004, won the 12-and-a-half lap race in hot and humid conditions at a packed 91,000-capacity National Stadium with an Olympic record of 12min 57.82sec.
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, a bronze medallist behind El Guerrouj and Bekele four years ago, was second in 13:02.80 with fellow Kenyan Edwin Cheruiyot Soi third in 13:06.22.
Fantastic
"It's fantastic," said Bekele. "It's very special, my best accomplishment for sure.
"I am very excited. Olympic gold and record - what more could I want?
"I had just enough energy to make the break. I did that for the people of Ethiopia."
The 26-year-old Bekele also hinted that he may follow in the illustrious footsteps of compatriot and former two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Haile Gebrselassie and transfer his running skills to the marathon.
"Why not? Look at me, I'm still young," he said.
Kipchoge said maintaining pace with Bekele after his first spurt away from the peloton had been manageable, the second not.
Hot pace
"For the first part, it was not so difficult. But later you have to accept it. The pace was fast in the final. But if we were at the same position in the last lap maybe I could have caught up with him.
"I expected myself to get the gold medal but I lost it and he was faster."
Bekele hit the lead after just one lap of the race, alternating the early pace-setting with his younger brother Tariku and fellow Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos.
Qatar's Kenyan-born James Kwalia C'kurui, Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat and the Kenyan duo of Soi and Thomas Longosiwa stayed in the mix in the chasing pack.
More from the track...
The Americans regained some pride after an underwhelming competition with golds in both the 4x400m relays while Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen won his second consecutive Olympic men's javelin title.
Kenya enjoyed a double gold also in the final full session of the track and field programme as they took the men's 800m and the women's 1500m. Wilfred Bungei gave Kenya their first men's 800m title since William Tanui in 1992.
Virtual unknown Nancy Langat celebrated her 27th birthday a day late and handed Kenya's women their second title of the athletics - and their second ever - when she cantered to an easy victory in the 1500m. Belgium's Tia Hellebaut won the women's high jump
