IAAF World Championship: Dibaba underlines greatness with another 10000m gold

Tirunesh Dibaba – numero uno

With about 500 metres to the tape, Tirunesh Dibaba motored away like a bird about to take flight. The Ethiopian soared away into the distance with the energy of an enthusiastic school kid to take her third successive world championship title. The consummate ease with which she raced to the finish line confirmed her status among the finest long distance runners to have graced athletics and arguably the greatest woman to have run the 10000m in any era.

Dibaba completed her hat-trick in a time of 30:43.35 to follow through on her victories in Helsinki and Osaka. Japanese Hitomi Niiya ran a fervent race, only to lose steam toward the end surrendering the silver and bronze to Gladys Cherono and Belaynesh Oljira respectively.

The race was split quickly as the pretenders fell away by the halfway mark, leaving the running to primarily a group of Kenyans and Ethiopians and the spirited Niiya. Dibaba ran a patient race, settling into the middle of the main pack. The Ethiopian great bided her time carefully conserving energy for the final stretch.

Meanwhile, the rest of the bunch jockeyed for position knowing that they were racing a formidable opponent. They would need every inch, they could earn against a woman who is a double Olympic champion and a two time winner of the world championships.

Niiya made a grand statement of intent, taking charge at the front of a strong contingent of seasoned African women with proven long distance credentials. But just when it seemed that the Japanese could have done enough to prospect some metal, she was overtaken first by Cherono and then by a surging Dibaba who took control of the race with a little more than a lap from the finish.

Once Dibaba put herself in charge, she set a scorching pace leaving the rest of the bunch to jockey for second position. Over the final stretch, Dibaba and the rest of the leading pack lapped competition much like a formula one car with an engineering advantage.

The ease with which Dibaba crossed the line and carried on lapping the track with the Ethiopian colours wrapped around her made one wonder about the boundless energies of the finest woman long distance runner of our era, possibly of all time.

Result

1 Tirunesh Dibaba ETH 30:43.352 Gladys Cherono KEN 30:45.173 Belaynesh Oljira ETH 30:46.984 Emily Chebet KEN 30:47.025 Hitomi Niiya JPN 30:56.706 Shitaye Eshete BRN 31:13.797 Selly Chepyego Kaptich KEN 31:22.118 Shalane Flanagan USA 31:34.83