London, September 13 Mo Farah followed up his recent 5,000 and 10,000 metres double triumph at the World Championships by defending his title in the Great North Run half-marathon in Newcastle on Sunday. In a thrilling finish, the 32-year-old double Olympic and five-time world champion held off Kenyan Stanley Biwott to cross the line first in a time of 59 minutes and 23 seconds. Biwott’s countryman Mike Kigen, who came second in 2014, was third. “I didn’t expect that — I thought it was going to be a lot easier,” Farah told the BBC. “I thought Mike Kigen gave me a good run last year and that it would be him and a few others, but Stanley Biwott is a class athlete and he definitely pushed me today. But I also didn’t think I was going to run that quickly towards the end of the season. It is nice to finish with a win. That is the most important thing,” he added. “It has been an amazing year. I couldn’t have had a better one than this.” Kenyan Mary Keitany retained the women’s title in a time of 1hr 7min 32sec. In the wheelchair races, Britain’s David Weir claimed the men’s title for the sixth time, while fellow Briton Shelly Woods won the women’s race for her seventh title and third in a row.