Etalemahu Kidane scored a decisive third successive victory in the Belfast International cross-country meeting at Stormont.
Kidane and her fellow Ethiopian Teyiba Erkesso ripped apart the field on the second lap of the six kilometre race.
The defending champion's fast finish won her the day by four seconds as she edged clear of Erkesso, highly fancied to unseat her compatriot after winning the high-quality Brussels cross-country before Christmas.
Mary Wacera claimed third, well adrift of the first two, with Ireland's Mary Cullen, fourth 12 months ago, sixth this time.
Moses Kipsiro improved on his second position last time to win the men's 9K title - ahead of Fabian Joseph, the much more fancied 2005 world half-marathon champion.
The Ugandan outpaced his Tanzanian opponent to win the sprint to the line by two seconds - with Patrick Musyoki finishing third.
Lithuanian's Mindi Pukstas, in seventh, was the first non-African finisher - just in front of Ireland's Garry Murray and Mark Kenneally.
