Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 12:00 AM

Australia's Craig Mottram has failed to make the final of the men's 5000 metres at the Beijing Olympics.

Mottram missed the chance to progress to the final, finishing fifth in his heat.

Compatriot Collis Birmingham also failed to qualify after finishing tenth in his heat.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele cruised into the final to keep his bid for an elusive long-distance running double on course.

Bekele finished third in Mottram's heat and advanced to Friday's final, where he will seek to emulate the 5000/10,000m double last achieved by compatriot Miruts Yifter in the 1980 Moscow Games.

The Ethiopian, who won his second consecutive 10,000m Olympic gold early on Monday morning (AEST), was happy to coast along at the back of the pack as Swiss Philipp Bandi set the early, slow pace.

Abdelaziz Ennaji el Idrissi of Morocco and Belgium's Monder Rizki took up the running with four laps to go, before Kenyan-born US runner Bernard Lagat hit the front.

James Kwalia C'Kurui then darted away, taking a 20-metre lead into the final lap.

But the Kenyan-born Qatari faded in the final straight and was caught by Lagat, who failed even to make the 1500m final in his own ambitious bid for a double.

Kenyan Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa finished in the fourth and final automatic qualifying berth ahead of Mottram.

American Matthew Tegenkamp was a surprise winner of the first heat, winning the race to the line in a five-man sprint to clock 13:37.36.

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, Bekele's younger brother Tariku and Eritrean Kidane Tadesse followed him home.

The second heat winner was Edwin Chruiyot Soi of Kenya, who outsprinted Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda to the line, with Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos finishing third.

Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi, who won the 1500m on Tuesday, elected not to race.