Ethiopian Review

Tirunesh Dibaba, the humble
champ [Photo: tadias.com]

Tirunesh Dibaba had modest ambitions when she arrived in Beijing she just wanted to compete well in her two events here…

But then, in Dibaba's parlance, competing well simply means winning well. The results tell the story: gold in 10000M, gold in 5000M. Two out of two, meaning the Ethiopian has indeed competed well — well enough to enter the territory of Olympic legends, for no woman had ever achieved that before.

Dibaba might not have stated it openly, but the 23-year-old certainly was a woman on a mission in Beijing. Two-time world champion in the 10000M and 5000M, she had missed the gold in 5000 at Athens and was keen to make amends. She did that here, though the way she did it did not please many.

Dibaba believes in staying back till the last one or two laps before unleashing her terrific kick. The 5000M, however, was too slow and the question to Dibaba at the post-match press conference on Friday was why she did not increase the pace, putting on a real show for the crowd.

"I came here to the Olympics representing my country and the major objective was to win a medal. I have always done that this way (staying back and attacking at the right time). But now that you have told me, I will start doing so," she said with a smile, evoking laughter all around.

Having run the 10000M and the 5000M semifinals earlier, Dibaba was certainly not at her best and the pace in the final, she said, suited her. "I was expecting that others would run faster. Luckily, they didn't do that and I knew I could always out-kick them," she said.

Dibaba's boyfriend is another Ethiopian long distance runner, Sileshi Sihine, who won silver medals in 10000M at Athens and here. Asked when the marriage is going to be, Dibaba said no date has been finalised. "Preparations are on," she said through the interpreter.

Source: Deccan Herald