In brief: Farah edges Lagat in 5,000M

Track and field: Mo Farah held off a late charge by Bernard Lagat of the United States to win the men’s 5,000 meters Sunday at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“The race came down to a sprint finish and I’m glad I took it,” Farah said. “When you come so close to gold, you want that gold. You do everything you can.”

Farah won in 13 minutes, 23.36 seconds. Lagat (Washington State) was second, 0.28 seconds back. Imane Merga originally finished third but was later disqualified for stepping off the track, giving the bronze medal to Ethiopian teammate Dejen Gebremeskel, who finished in 13:23.92.

Lagat came outside of the two Ethiopians and made a late sprint with 80 meters remaining, almost catching Farah.

“It turned out to be a good race for me,” Lagat said. “I tried to put myself into a good position for the long kick but I got kind of blocked. When I got out, it was too late to get ahead.”

Track worlds, B3

Associated Press

Hall of Famer Selmon dies

Football: Lee Roy Selmon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Hall of Fame defensive end who teamed with his brothers to create a dominant defensive front and led Oklahoma to back-to-back national championships, died Sunday, two days after being hospitalized for a stroke. He was 57.

A statement released on behalf of his wife, Claybra Selmon, said he died at a Tampa, Fla., hospital surrounded by family members.

Selmon and his brother, Dewey, were both chosen as All-Americans in 1975 when the Sooners won their second straight championship.

Selmon followed his Hall of Fame college career with an equally impressive run in the NFL. He was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 draft – the first ever selection by expansion Tampa Bay. In 1979, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award when he helped Tampa Bay make it to the NFC championship game.

Associated Press