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28 January 2007
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) - Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba confirmed her place as the world's top distance runner by smashing her own women's 5,000m world indoor record at the Boston Indoor Games.
Dibaba set a world record of 14 minutes, 27.42 seconds to win the women's 5,000 meters here for the third year in a row, breaking the former mark of 14:32.93 she set here at this meet on January 29, 2005.
"I had confidence in myself, I had confidence in this race. With the help of God, I knew I could do it," Dibaba said through a translator.
Lapping the three other finishers, 21-year-old Dibaba unleashed a 29.7-second final 200-meter sprint to demolish her prior mark.
A distant second in 15:09.42 was her older sister Ejegayehu "Gigi" Dibaba, with Aheza Kiros completing an Ethiopian podium sweep in 15:26.43.
Dibaba's global conquests include taking the women's eight km crown at last year's world cross country championships in Japan and a historic 5,000m and 10,000m double at the world athletics championships in 2005 at Helsinki.
She also won the world 5,000m crown in 2003 at Paris and two prior world crosas country crowns.
Dibaba is already considered a favorite for further glory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After early pacesetters did their work and dropped out, Dibaba reached the 3,000-meter mark in 8:44.30 and stepped alone to the lead to the delight of the loud, flag-waving crowd.
"She is amazing," pacesetter Marina Muncan said. "It was awesome just being part of a world record race. There's nobody in the world who can beat her, nobody right now anyway."
Australians took three titles at the US indoor athletics season opener with Steven Hooker winning the pole vault by clearing 5.81m, Craig Mottram taking the men's 3,000m in 7:39.24 and Sarah Jamieson capturing the mile in 4:28.03.
There were two other international winners as Canada's Perdita Felicien won the 60m hurdles in 7.97 seconds while Ethiopia's Meseret Defar won the women's 3,000m in 8:30.31.
American Shawn Crawford took the 60m in 6.55 seconds while Marshevet Hooker won the women's 60m crown in 7.24.
AFP