Above: Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba took gold in 5000m race
at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Friday, July 23, 2010
New York (Tadias) – 19-year-old Ethiopian distance runner Genzebe Dibaba has won the women’s 5000m final race at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada.
She finished the race at 15:08.06 – breaking a record set by fellow Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu in 2004.
Genzebe, a member of an Ethiopian running dynasty that includes her sisters the reigning world record holder double Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba and Olympic silver medallist Ejegayehu Dibaba as well as her cousin former Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, was fiercely contested by runner-up Mercy Cherono of Kenya.
“I knew I could pass her with 100m left,” Dibaba told IAAF referring to her Kenyan competition. “I have better speed than her over the last 100m, so I stayed back deliberately.”
“Two years ago, I wasn’t able to succeed, but this year, I’ve worked hard and improved and obtained the gold,” she said.
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Cover Photo: Getty Images
