Ethiopian middle and long-distance runner
This article is about a person whose name includes a
patronymic
. The article properly refers to the person by her given name, Genzebe, and not as Dibaba.
Genzebe Dibaba
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Recepci%C3%B3_a_l%27atleta_Genzebe_Dibaba_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Recepci%C3%B3_a_l%27atleta_Genzebe_Dibaba_%28cropped%29.jpg) Genzebe Dibaba in 2016
|
|
Full name
| Genzebe Dibaba Keneni
|
---|
Born
| (
1991-02-08
)
8 February 1991
(age 33)
Chefe,
Bekoji
,
Arsi Province
,
PDR Ethiopia
|
---|
Height
| 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
|
---|
Weight
| 52 kg (115 lb)
[1]
|
---|
|
Country
| Ethiopia
|
---|
Sport
| Women's
athletics
|
---|
Event(s)
| 1500 metres
,
3000 metres
,
5000 metres
|
---|
Team
| NN Running Team
(2023?)
|
---|
Coached by
| Tolera Dinka
|
---|
|
Olympic finals
| - 2012
- 1500 m, 22nd (h)
- 2016
- 1500 m,
Silver
|
---|
World finals
| - 2009
- 5000 m, 8th
- 2011
- 5000 m, 8th
- 2013
- 1500 m, 7th
- 2015
- 1500 m,
Gold
- 5000 m,
Bronze
- 2017
- 1500 m, 12th
|
---|
Personal
bests
| |
---|
|
Genzebe Dibaba Keneni
(
Oromo
:
Ganzabee Dibaabaa Qananii
;
Amharic
: ???? ??? ???; born 8 February 1991) is an Ethiopian
middle-
and
long-distance runner
. A
1,500 metres
2016 Rio Olympics
silver medalist, she won a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the
5,000 metres
at the
2015 World Championships
. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the indoor events of the
one mile
,
3,000m
and 5,000m.
Having competed at all
World Athletics Championships
between 2009 and 2017, Genzebe placed in the finals of all events in which she took part. She is a five-time
World Indoor champion
, winning the 1,500m in
2012
, the 3,000m in
2014
and
2016
, and securing the 1,500m/3,000m double in
2018
. She was highly successful as a
junior
athlete. In 2008, at age 17, she won her first
World Cross Country Championships
under-20 title and took a silver medal in the 5,000m at the
World U20 Championships
. The next year, Genzebe added her second
Cross Country U20 title
, and in 2010, the
World U20 Championships
5,000m gold. She won the 2015
Diamond League
title. She was named
Laureus Sportswoman of the Year
for 2014,
[2]
and
IAAF
World Female Athlete of the Year
in 2015.
[3]
Genzebe comes from a sporting family of several Olympic medalists, which includes her sisters
Tirunesh
and
Ejegayehu
, and her aunt
Derartu Tulu
.
Background
[
edit
]
Genzebe Dibaba is a member of the
Oromo
ethnic group from the high altitude
Arsi Zone
of the
Oromia Region
and comes from an athletic family. Her older sister
Tirunesh
is a celebrated athlete who won many major medals. Another older sister,
Ejegayehu
, won the silver medal in the
10,000 metres
at the
2004 Summer Olympics
, and her brother Dejene is also an athlete. Her aunt is
Derartu Tulu
, the 1992 and 2000 Olympic champion in 10,000 m.
[4]
Career
[
edit
]
Genzebe won the junior women's title at both the
2008
[5]
and
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
[6]
and finished fifth in the same event in 2007. She became the second junior woman ever to win two junior cross country championships in a row. She also competed in
IAAF Golden League
meetings, including the Reebok Grand Prix and the Oslo
Bislett Games
. At the 2008 Bislett Games, Genzebe recorded a personal best time of 15:02.41 in the
5000 metres
, during the same race where her sister Tirunesh set a new world record.
[7]
She did the same a year later in the same race, improving her personal best by more than five seconds.
2009?2010
[
edit
]
After winning the 5000 m at the Ethiopian Athletics Championships, she was included in the Ethiopian squad for the
2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships
. In Berlin she replaced Tirunesh on Ethiopia's 5000 m team, who withdrew due to injury. Genzebe ran an excellent heat, finishing fourth and qualifying for the final where, in her first major senior championship race, she finished in eighth position. She also won the 5000 m gold at the
2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
.
She began her 2009?10 cross country campaign with a win at the
Cross de Atapuerca
.
[8]
She also competed indoors, improving her 1500 m best to 4:04.80 at the
Indoor Flanders
meeting.
[9]
Despite her wins on the senior circuit, she failed to complete a hat-trick of junior race titles at the
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. She performed far below expectations, ending up in eleventh and barely making it into the silver medal winning Ethiopian team.
[10]
Her fortunes improved at the
2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics
as she defeated the junior cross country winner
Mercy Cherono
to take the 5000 m gold in a championship record time.
[11]
In November, she took a second consecutive victory at the Cross de Atapuerca, taking a prominent scalp in
Emily Chebet
(the reigning senior champion).
[12]
Genzebe's first senior world title (1500 m) at the
2012 World Indoor Championships
2011?2012
[
edit
]
She was the runner-up at the
Great Edinburgh Cross Country
in January 2011 behind
Linet Masai
.
[13]
She placed ninth at the
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
two months later. Genzebe improved her 5000 m best to 14:37.56 minutes at the Bislett Games and went on to place eighth in the event at the
2011 World Championships in Athletics
. After this point she began to move away from the 5000 m and focus on the
1500 metres
instead ? a move which paid significant dividends for her career.
She began 2012 with the fifth fastest ever indoor 1500 m, winning the
Weltklasse in Karlsruhe
in 4:00.13 minutes.
[14]
A win at the
Aviva Indoor Grand Prix
preceded her first world title at the
2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships
.
[15]
Turning to the outdoor track, Genzebe ran an Ethiopian record time of 3:57.77 minutes at the
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
.
[16]
She was third at the
Golden Gala
and runner-up at the Bislett Games. She was selected for the
2012 London Olympics
, but a hamstring injury in the final lap of her heat saw her eliminated from the competition.
[17]
2013?2014
[
edit
]
Genzebe en route her 3000m gold at the
2014 World Indoor Championships
in
Sopot
Genzebe opened 2013 on grass, winning the 3 km competition at the
Great Edinburgh Cross Country
,
[18]
then took two indoor wins in Karlsruhe and Birmingham.
On 1 February 2014, in Karlsruhe, Germany, Genzebe ran 3:55.17 in the 1500 m indoor event, beating the previous indoor world record by over 3 seconds. This mark was the fastest 1500 m in the world, indoor or outdoor, since 1997.
[19]
Five days later, she improved the world indoor record in the
3000 metres
to 8:16.60 at the
XL Galan
meet in
Stockholm
, Sweden. In that one race, Genzebe improved her own personal record by over thirty seconds, the world record by almost seven, and even though it was set on a shorter track indoors, her time was the number four time at the distance ever. Only on one occasion has the time been bettered, that was the
1993 Chinese National Games
, when three athletes
Wang Junxia
,
Qu Yunxia
and
Zhang Linli
set the event on its ear, running times that had previously not been approached in two decades. In the month of February and in just 15 days Genzebe broke her third world record at indoor two-mile race at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix; nine minutes and 0.48 seconds was her new record that shattered Meseret Defar previous best by six seconds.
[20]
[21]
With these records, Genzebe is one of only three athletes in history to break three world records in three different events within 15 days, joining
Jesse Owens
, who set three world records and tied another within 1 hour,
[22]
and
Usain Bolt
. She stands alone as the only one to do this feat in three different cities and meets, and in all individual events under FAT.
[
citation needed
]
In summer
IAAF Diamond League
competition, Genzebe won the 1500 m at Monaco.
Genzebe at the
Bislett Games
in
Oslo
in 2015
2015
[
edit
]
During 2015 Genzebe changed shoe sponsor. In February in
XL-Galan
, Stockholm, she ran for Adidas, and in March in
Carlsbad (CA, USA)
, she had her first official competition in Nike dress in the 5k-race, where she missed the world record by a small margin.
[23]
The change of sponsor was associated with the change of manager ? from Dutch
Jos Hermens
(Global Sports Communication) to Swedish Ulf Saletti. The manager change happened a few months before the sponsor change. Saletti was a meeting director at Stockholm
XL-Galan
where she on 19 February 2015 repeated the achievement from the year before by setting a world record, now at the 5000 metres with 14:18.86.
Genzebe won the women's 5000 m at the 2015 Prefontaine Classic in
Eugene, Oregon
, in a then-personal best time of 14:19.76.
[24]
She then went on to win the 5000 m at the Diamond League Meet Areva in Paris on July 4 in a new personal best time of 14:15:41. This was her fifth 5000 metres run under 14:30. Only four days later, in Barcelona, she set a new African record for the 1500 m of 3:54.11 (
video
), virtually single-handedly running the fastest 1500 m in the world in 18 years
[25]
and the ninth fastest of all time. Six of the eight fastest times ahead of her occurred in two races at the 1993
Chinese National Games
, where much of the running community believes the communist government was sponsoring a doping scheme in the days before serious drug testing was required. On 17 July 2015 in Monaco, Genzebe broke the 1500 m world record, which had previously been considered near-unbreakable, in a time of 3:50:07.
[26]
Genzebe (center) with
Faith Kipyegon
(L) and
Sifan Hassan
(R) at the medal ceremony during the
2015 World Championships
in
Beijing
At the
World Championships in Beijing
, she took the
1500 m
title and claimed the bronze medal in the
5000 m
event.
She was named the
IAAF
women's
World Athlete of the Year
for 2015.
[27]
2016
[
edit
]
In February 2016, Genzebe competed in Stockholm's Globen Galan meeting. She ran the indoor mile in 4 minutes and 13.31 seconds, breaking
Doina Melinte
's 26-year-old world record of 4:17.14, which had been set in 1990.
[28]
In April, she pulled out of the Dubai Athletics President's Cup 10,000 m Olympic qualifier race due to an injury in her left foot.
[29]
In a track meet in Barcelona on 30 June, she failed to finish a 5000 m race due to an injury. She was removed from the track in a wheelchair.
[30]
At the
2016 Rio Olympics
, Dibaba ran the women's 1500 m. She won her heat (one out of 3) in 4:10.61. In the semifinals (one out of 2) she was the fastest runner with 4.03.06. The final was won by
Faith Kipyegon
in a time of 4:08.92. Genzebe took the silver medal in a time of 4:10.27 and
Jenny Simpson
placed third with 4:10.53.
[31]
2017
[
edit
]
Genzebe broke the 2000 m indoor world record and also the absolute world record, because it lowered the outdoor mark as well, on 7 February 2017 in
Sabadell
(Spain). She ran the distance in 5:23.75, an improvement on the former indoor best by
Gabriela Szabo
from 1998 by 6 seconds. The outdoor world record was set by
Sonia O'Sullivan
with 5:25.36.
[32]
[33]
An illness prevented her from running in her usual form at the
2017 World Athletics Championships
, where she finished 12th in the
1500 metres
.
[34]
and later pulled off from the
5000 m
event.
Since September she was coached by Hussein Shibo and Tolera Dinka.
[35]
2018
[
edit
]
At the
2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham
, she won the
1500 m
[36]
and the
3000 m
.
[37]
2019
[
edit
]
Genzebe won the Golden Gala 1500 m in Rome on 6 June in a time of 3:56.28. She went to Rabat on 16 June and took victory over the distance in 3:55.47.
[38]
In the 1500 m Diamond League Final on 29 August in Zurich, Genzebe finished fourth in 4:00.86. The final was won by
Sifan Hassan
in 3:57.08,
Konstanze Klosterhalfen
was the runner up with 3:59.02 and
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford
placed third in 3:59.59.
[39]
2020?2022
[
edit
]
In her first race of any kind since August 2019, Genzebe won the delayed
Valencia Half Marathon
in December 2020 with a time of 65:18. It was the fastest half marathon debut by a woman in history at the time.
[40]
On 16 October 2022, she debuted in the
marathon
at the
Amsterdam Marathon
, placing second behind
Almaz Ayana
with a time of 2:18:05, a performance which ranked her in the world all-time top 20.
[41]
Achievements
[
edit
]
Genzebe at the
2014 World Indoor Championships
in
Sopot
All information taken from
World Athletics
profile.
Personal bests
[
edit
]
Type
|
Event
|
Time
|
Date
|
Place
|
Notes
|
Outdoor track
|
800 metres
|
1:59.37
|
5 May 2017
|
Doha
, Qatar
|
|
1500 metres
|
3:50.07
|
17 July 2015
|
Monaco
|
NR
|
Mile
|
4:14.30
|
6 September 2016
|
Rovereto
, Italy
|
NR
|
2000 metres
|
5:27.50
|
17 June 2014
|
Ostrava
, Czech Republic
|
|
3000 metres
|
8:21.29
|
30 June 2019
|
Palo Alto, CA
, USA
|
|
5000 metres
|
14:15.41
|
4 July 2015
|
Paris
, France
|
|
Indoor
|
1000 metres
|
2:33.06
|
24 February 2017
|
Madrid
, Spain
|
NR
|
1500 metres
|
3:55.17
|
1 February 2014
|
Karlsruhe
, Germany
|
|
Mile
|
4:13.31
|
17 February 2016
|
Stockholm
, Sweden
|
World record
|
2000 metres
|
5:23.75
|
7 February 2017
|
Sabadell
, Spain
|
World best
|
3000 metres
|
8:16.60
|
6 February 2014
|
Stockholm, Sweden
|
World record
|
Two miles
|
9:00.48
|
15 February 2014
|
Birmingham
, England
|
World best
|
5000 metres
|
14:18.86
|
19 February 2015
|
Stockholm, Sweden
|
World record
|
|
Road
|
Half marathon
|
1:05:18
|
6 December 2020
|
Valencia
, Spain
|
|
International competitions
[
edit
]
Representing
Ethiopia
Year
|
Competition
|
Venue
|
Position
|
Event
|
Notes
|
2007
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Mombasa
, Kenya
|
5th
|
Junior race (6 km)
|
21:23
|
2008
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Edinburgh
, United Kingdom
|
1st
|
Junior race (6 km)
|
19:59
|
World Junior Championships
|
Bydgoszcz
, Poland
|
2nd
|
5000 m
|
16:16.75
|
2009
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Amman
, Jordan
|
1st
|
Junior race (6 km)
|
20:14
|
African Junior Championships
|
Bambous, Mauritius
|
1st
|
5000 m
|
16:11.85
|
World Championships
|
Berlin
, Germany
|
8th
|
5000 m
|
15:11.12
|
2010
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Bydgoszcz
, Poland
|
11th
|
Junior race (6 km)
|
19:21
|
World Junior Championships
|
Moncton
, Canada
|
1st
|
5000 m
|
15:08.06
|
2011
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Punta Umbria
, Spain
|
9th
|
Senior race (8 km)
|
25:36
|
World Championships
|
Daegu
, South Korea
|
8th
|
5000 m
|
15:09.35
|
2012
|
World Indoor Championships
|
Istanbul
, Turkey
|
1st
|
1500 m
i
|
4:05.78
|
Olympic Games
|
London
, United Kingdom
|
22nd (h)
|
1500 m
|
4:11.15
|
2013
|
World Championships
|
Moscow
, Russia
|
7th
|
1500 m
|
4:05.99
|
2014
|
World Indoor Championships
|
Sopot
, Poland
|
1st
|
3000 m
i
|
8:55.04
|
African Championships
|
Marrakesh
, Morocco
|
2nd
|
5000 m
|
15:42.16
|
Continental Cup
|
Marrakesh
, Morocco
|
1st
|
3000 m
|
8:57.53
|
2015
|
World Championships
|
Beijing
, China
|
1st
|
1500 m
|
4:08.09
|
3rd
|
5000 m
|
14:44.14
|
2016
|
World Indoor Championships
|
Portland
, United States
|
1st
|
3000 m
i
|
8:47.43
|
Olympic Games
|
Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
|
2nd
|
1500 m
|
4:10.27
|
2017
|
World Cross Country Championships
|
Kampala
, Uganda
|
2nd
|
Mixed relay (8 km)
|
22:30
|
World Championships
|
London
, United Kingdom
|
12th
|
1500 m
|
4:06.72
|
2018
|
World Indoor Championships
|
Birmingham
, United Kingdom
|
1st
|
1500 m
i
|
4:05.27
|
1st
|
3000 m
i
|
8:45.05
|
Circuit wins and titles
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Genzebe Dibaba"
.
Sports-Reference.com
. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from
the original
on 30 May 2015
. Retrieved
29 May
2015
.
- ^
"Novak Djokovic and Genzebe Dibaba, potential stars of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, win Laureus awards"
. Rio 2016. 15 April 2015. Archived from
the original
on 5 March 2016
. Retrieved
23 February
2016
.
- ^
"Genzebe Dibaba: 2015 IAAF World Athletes of the Year"
. 27 November 2015. Archived from
the original
on 11 March 2016
. Retrieved
23 February
2016
.
- ^
"Dibaba sisters make it a family affair ? Edinburgh 2008"
.
IAAF
. 30 March 2008
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
"Junior Women's Race Report ? Edinburgh 2008"
. IAAF. 30 March 2008
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
"Genzebe keeps the Dibaba family at the top of the world ? Amman 2009"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Golden League 2008 ? Bislett Games 5000 Metres W Results
Archived
2008-06-08 at the
Wayback Machine
. IAAF. 6 June 2008.
- ^
Valiente, Emeterio (8 November 2009).
"Gebremariam and G. Dibaba secure Ethiopian double in Atapuerca"
.
IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Hendrix, Ivo (15 February 2010).
"Koech clocks World best in 2000m Steeplechase, G. Dibaba impresses in Gent"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Johnson, Len (28 March 2010).
"Cherono sets the record straight ? Women's Junior race report ? Bydgoszcz 2010"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Morse, Parker (22 July 2010).
"Women's 5000m final"
. IAAF. Archived from
the original
on 24 November 2010
. Retrieved
7 November
2010
.
- ^
Valiente, Emeterio (7 November 2010).
"Medhin and Dibaba outclass World champions in Atapuerca"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Wenig, Jorg (8 January 2011).
"Kipchoge and Masai prevail in snowy Edinburgh"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Mulkeen, Jon (13 February 2012).
"Dibaba runs fifth fastest indoor 1500m ever in Karlsruhe, sprint world leads set in Fayetteville"
.
Athletics Weekly
. Archived from
the original
on 4 October 2015
. Retrieved
7 May
2016
.
- ^
Ramsak, Bob (10 March 2012).
"EVENT REPORT - Women's 1500 Metres - Final"
.
IAAF
. Retrieved
17 February
2013
.
- ^
Johnson, Len (19 May 2012).
"Liu Xiang and G. Dibaba the standouts in rainy Shanghai ? Samsung Diamond League"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
17 February
2013
.
- ^
Ramsak, Bob (6 August 2012).
"London 2012 - Event Report - Women's 1500m Heats"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
17 February
2013
.
- ^
"Dibaba dashes Defar's hopes with speedy finish in Edinburgh"
. IAAF. 5 January 2013
. Retrieved
17 February
2013
.
- ^
The rise and rise of Genzebe Dibaba
.
Athletics Weekly
(26 February 2014). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^
"Ethiopian distances itself from Dibaba coach after doping arrest"
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-08-27
. Retrieved
2016-08-08
.
- ^
"Sports"
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-02-26
. Retrieved
2014-02-19
.
- ^
Rothschild, Richard (24 May 2010).
"Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Archived from the original on 2016-08-09
. Retrieved
2019-12-10
.
{{
cite magazine
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Mulkeen, Jon (29 March 2015).
"Dibaba runs second-fastest 5km in history at Carlsbad 5000"
.
World Athletics
. Retrieved
1 September
2020
.
- ^
Women's 5000 m - Nike Prefontaine Classic 2015
USATF.
- ^
"Genzebe Dibaba sets African 1500m record of 3:54.11 in Barcelona"
.
IAAF
. 8 July 2015.
- ^
Mulkeen, Jon (2015-07-18).
"Dibaba breaks 1500m world record in Monaco with 3:50.07 ? IAAF Diamond League"
.
World Athletics
. Retrieved
2021-01-01
.
- ^
"IAAF: Eaton Dibaba 2015 World Athletes"
. IAAF
. Retrieved
24 January
2016
.
- ^
"Genzebe Dibaba and Ayanleh Souleiman break world indoor records"
. Retrieved
18 February
2016
.
- ^
Abulleil, Reem.
"Genzebe Dibaba pulls out of Dubai 10,000m race with injury"
.
Sport 360
. Retrieved
14 August
2016
.
- ^
"Genzebe Dibaba fails to finish 5k race in Barcelona"
.
Watch Athletics
. Retrieved
14 August
2016
.
- ^
"Rio 2016 - Athletics - 1500m Women"
.
Olympic.org
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
"Dibaba breaks world 2000m record in Sabadell| News | iaaf.org"
.
www.iaaf.org
. Retrieved
2019-06-06
.
- ^
"Genzebe DIBABA | Profile | iaaf.org"
.
www.iaaf.org
. Retrieved
2019-06-06
.
- ^
"1500 Metres Result | IAAF World Championships London 2017 | iaaf.org"
. Archived from
the original
on 2017-08-08.
- ^
Cullum, Barney (8 March 2018).
"Return of land bonuses driving Ethiopian athletics success, not drugs, says gold medal winner Yomif Kejelcha"
.
The Independent
.
- ^
"IAAF: 1500 Metres Result | IAAF World Indoor Championships | iaaf.org"
.
iaaf.org
. Retrieved
2018-03-20
.
- ^
"IAAF: Report: women's 3000m ? IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018| News | iaaf.org"
.
iaaf.org
. Retrieved
2018-03-20
.
- ^
"Genzebe DIBABA | Profile"
.
worldathletics.org
. Retrieved
2020-03-26
.
- ^
"1500 m women 2019 Diamond League final Zurich"
(PDF)
.
- ^
Henderson, Jason (2020-12-06).
"Half-marathon record shattered in Valencia"
.
AW
. Retrieved
2020-12-06
.
- ^
"Ayana runs fastest ever women's marathon debut with 2:17:20 in Amsterdam"
.
World Athletics
. 2022-10-16
. Retrieved
2022-10-16
.
- ^
"IAAF Diamond League, Brussels (BEL), 11 September 2015 ? Diamond Race Standings"
(PDF)
.
Diamond League
. 2015-09-11. p. 7
. Retrieved
2021-01-01
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
* Since this award, Jones has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Her award has been rescinded.
|