Ethiopian Runner Genzebe Dibaba Breaks 26-Year-Old Indoor Women’s Record
Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba broke the women’s world indoor mile record on Wednesday in Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena, where she has set three consecutive world records.
Dibaba, 25, broke the record set 26 years ago by Romanian Doina Melinte in a time of 4 minutes, 13.31 seconds. Melinte’s time of 4 minutes, 17.14 seconds was set in East Rutherford, New Jersey about a year before Dibaba was born in Ethiopia.
Dibaba has now earned five world records, which include an outdoor 1,500 meters mark and indoor records in 15,000, 3,000 and 5,000 meters respectively.
“I’m delighted,” Dibaba said after her record victory.“I had thought I would run 4:13 or 4:12, and now it was 4:13, so I’m very happy with that.”
Dibaba’s victory also set a record as the second all-time fastest mile run in both indoors and outdoor events. Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova’s 1996 outdoor record of 4:12:56 still holds the first place.
Ethiopians Gudaf Tsegay and Axumawit Embaye came second and third respectively after finishing 11 seconds behind Dibaba.
Dibaba’s training partner Ayanleh Souleiman set a new men’s world indoor 1,000 meters record. With a time of 2:14:20, the Djibouti runner broke Kipketer Wilson’s record by 0.76 seconds. Kenyan born Danish athlete Wilson, set the record of 2:14:96 in 2000.
Photo: AP