ATHLETICS/WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS:HOLY ETHIOPIA! The undisputed, unrivalled and now unbeatable world leaders in cross-country running. Such was their dominance here yesterday they may as well have zoomed in from another planet.

Over the muddy, hilly and so-called traditional cross-country course of Holyrood Park, Ethiopia effectively left the rest of the world in a futile chase - including the once all-conquering Kenyans - by winning all four individual titles, and two of the four team titles.

Incredibly, Ethiopia ended the day with 11 medals - nearly half the 24 on offer. Beat that, ye superpowers.

It simply wouldn't be plausible if it didn't seem so natural.

Only one other nation has touched that feat: Kenya won all four titles in 1994.

But Ethiopia still made history on another level when Kenenisa Bekele won a record sixth senior title. The scary thing is he's still only 25, and hardly done yet.

Bekele has already had an extraordinary impact on the World Cross Country; since he won the junior title in 2001, he claimed both the senior long- and short-course races every year up to 2006. Last year, when the event reverted to the winner-takes-all long course, he dropped out, surrendering his title to Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea.

Now, in reclaiming that title, Bekele produced the most supreme of his victories. One lap into the 12km race - which at this level is run like a continuous stampede - another athlete stepped on Bekele, resulting in his right shoe slipping off his heel. So Bekele simply eased up, pulled his shoe back on, and casually chased down the leaders.

Within the next half mile he was back in contention. Each time he swept past us in the press tribune we could see that relaxed yet intense look in his eyes; there was no pain, no suffering - only glory.

That's the way the Ethiopians approach cross-country, and there is no other way.

Bekele still didn't hit the front until the final 2km circuit, when he suddenly put the boot down and dropped Tadese and the Kenyans Leonard Komon and Joseph Ebuya, with spectacular ease. He arrived home with the perfect smile of satisfaction, looking elegant, and deadly, with Komon second and Tadese a knackered-looking third.

Within minutes Bekele was relaxing against a steel barrier in the mixed zone, still smiling. He's lost that youthful look, his face chiselled to the bone by years of hard training. This is the greatest runner in the world: surely now the greatest that's lived.

"It's special, of course," he says, in fine English. "I was champion for five years, but this is very special, because to win six is very difficult, given all the conditions. And everybody all over the world was expecting me to win. That's not easy."

His sixth senior title - surpassing the five won by Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat - increased Bekele's individual gold medal tally to a record 12, and with Ethiopia also taking team silver yesterday behind Kenya, his combined total is now 26 (15 gold, nine silver and two bronze).

The complete dominance by the east Africans in this event was further underlined in that they won 21 of the 24 medals, the exceptions being Australia (third team in the senior women), Japan (third team in the junior women) and Qatar (third team in the senior men, but essentially Kenyans in disguise).

For the Irish senior men's team, and particularly Alistair Cragg, it was a day to be forgotten - as quickly as possible.

Cragg dropped out with two of the six laps remaining, having been in 39th position after the first lap, but dropping steadily back, struggling with the pace and distance.

"My left hamstring was dead," he explained, with a look of total resignation. "I've had it since the nationals in Belfast, honestly. I am hurt, but no excuses though. I tried to give it everything, and I feel bad for everyone who came to watch."

Andrew Ledwith in fact passed Cragg, and ended up Ireland's best placed in 67th. But with Vinny Mulvey also dropping out, Ireland had only five finishers - and therefore failed to score.