MORPETH Harrier Nick McCormick continued his impressive build-up to this weekend's World Championship Trials with a thrilling 1500m victory at the 54th BUPA Ireland Cork City Games.

The 23-year old battled against a troublesome wind and got the verdict over the USA's 2004 Olympic Trial bronze medallist Rob Myers in a photo finish, with both athletes credited with the same time, 3 mins 38.85 secs, just under a second ahead of third-placed Eliud Njubu, of Kenya.

McCormick is still chasing the World Championships qualifying time of 3:36.20, but he has been the model of consistency in his last three 1500 contests, shooting to the top of the UK rankings with a personal-best 3:37.66 in Gothenburg and then clocking 3:38.83 in an IAAF Grand Prix 11 meeting in Prague last Monday.

McCormick's coach, Chester-le-Street's Lindsay Dunn, was delighted with the victory at the Mardyke against a top class field which included three Kenyan runners and Australian champion Lachlan Chisholm, who was eighth.

He said: "It was very windy and the conditions were not conducive to a fast time," said Dunn.

"But he did most of the leading and beat some really good guys. This should set him up nicely for the trials in Manchester at the weekend."

McCormick, who has emerged this season as one of the UK's most exciting young middle-distance runners, has blossomed under Dunn's guidance and his eye-catching improvement comes after three weeks training at altitude in Boulder, Colorado, at the end of April before he returned to win the North-East 800m title.

*Middlesbrough-Mandale's North-East senior men's discus champion Leslie Richards took the silver medal in the AAA Under-23 Championships at Bedford with a throw of 48.64m, exactly one metre behind last year's Under-20 winner Simon Cooke, of Chichester.

* Haile Gebrselassie was a runaway winner of the British 10kilometres London run in 28minutes 12seconds.

The world record-holder for the distance was never under pressure as he coasted to victory around the the capital's historic landmarks.

There were pre-event hopes that the Ethiopian star might challenge the UK all-comers' record of 27mins 25secs he set at the BUPA Great Manchester Run in May.

But the former Olympic 10,000m gold medallist spreadeagled the field from the beginning of the race and was never tested.

Robert Cheboror of Kenya was a distant second in 29mins 06secs with Thembalina Zola from South Africa clocking 29mins 36secs for third place.