Ethiopia's double Olympic and world champion Kenenisa Bekele on Friday night won the 5000m at the Memorial Van Damme to take a share of the IAAF Golden League jackpot in Brussels, Belgium.

The 27-year old, who had won his previous five races in Berlin, Oslo, Rome, Paris, and Zurich, clocked 12:55.31 to take victory ahead of fellow Ethiopian Imane Merga and Kenyan Vincent Chepkok.

After fellow jackpot contenders American Sanya Richards and Russian Yelena Isinbayeva had done well to win the women's 400m and the women's pole vault earlier in the evening respectively, the pressure turned to Kenenisa in his seventh 5000m of the year.

After taking the 5000m race by the scruff of the neck before 3000m (a point which he went through in 7:45.51) building up a lead of about 40 metres on the 22 athletes following, the World and Olympic champion then slowed down and let the large pack catch him, only to majestically ease away again when the final sprint was engaged. He closed with a 55s final lap to take victory in 12:55.31.