Athletes

It must be something in the genes. Or something in the air. Or a combination of both. Whatever the reason, the Dibaba family have more claim to have been born to run than Bruce Springsteen.

Tirunesh, 23, the current Olympic and World 5000m and 10,000m champion, might not always win a fun run around the Dibaba back garden. Her elder sister Ejegayehu won a 10,000m silver at the Athens Games, her younger sister Genzebe is the World Junior Cross Country champion and her brother Dejene is marked out as a future star. One of her cousins is two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu. And this year Tirunesh married double Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Sileshi Sihine.

She hails from Bekoji, the same high-altitude Ethiopian town as men’s 5000 and 10,000m Olympic champion Kenenise Bekele; all are members of the Oromo ethnic group, perhaps one of the most genetically blessed on earth, which also includes Haile Gebrselassie, Abebe Bikila, Geta Wami and Tirunesh’s greatest rival, Meseret Defar.

Yet Dibaba is extravagantly gifted, even by the standards of this elite company. Not for nothing is she known as ‘the baby-faced destroyer’. Her trademark is her devastating kick-finish, which smashes the field over the final lap.

Dibaba blossomed early. Just out of the juniors, she won the 2003 World Championship 5000m in Paris, and such was her promise, her subsequent Olympic 5000m bronze medal in Athens was considered a disappointment, even though she was still only 19.

A year later, though, she was unstoppable, taking a World Championship double over 5000m and 10,000m in Helsinki and winning both the long and short course World Cross Country Championships. In 2006, she claimed a share of the Golden League Jackpot, banking a more than handy $83,333 (£57,289) for winning five of her six races at 5000m.

Yet her total dominance had to wait until 2008. Peaking perfectly, she rubbed out Defar’s 5000m world record with 14:11.15 at the Oslo Golden League meeting, before heading for Beijing and a glorious 5000m and 10,000m double.

She capped the year with marriage to Sihine, and her golden triumphs were commemorated back home with the bestowal of the honorary rank of Chief Superintendent by her track club, the Prisons Police. A hospital on the outskirts of Addis Ababa has also been named after her. It seems that only a resurgent Defar can stop her now.

Interview

Q What is your first athletics memory?

A My first memory of running is when my cousin Derartu (Tulu) won the 10,000m gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Q Where did you get your talent from, your mum or your dad?

A I believe I got my talent from God because both parents of mine were not athletes.

Q You have the nickname 'the baby-faced destroyer‘. How did it come about and do you like it?

A I don't exactly know who gave me that name but it was from the media people and I am not against that name.

Q When did you first discover you had a talent for running?

A I believe I knew I had the inkling when I ran my first cross country in Europe, but for sure it was in Paris after I won the World Championships in 2003.

Q You have proved top of the pile on the track and over the country. Do you have future ambitions to run seriously on the road and, particularly, in the marathon?

A I believe so. I do hope that I will compete more on the road and I will also run the marathon.

Q You have two sisters and one brother who also compete in track and field. Who is the most competitive sibling in your family and why?

A All I believe are good. But the most fierce competitor for me, I believe, is Genzebe Dibaba, my younger sister.

Q Your cousin is Derartu Tulu. What is the best piece of athletics advice she has given you throughout your career?

A Derartu has been the greatest inspiration in my career. She has given me a lot of advice and encouragement in my running and given me a lot of hints and tactics – mostly on how to finish, but I won't go into detail.

Q You recently married Silheshi Sihine. What is the best part of married life?

A Married life is wonderful and I am happy to be with someone I love.

Q What interests and hobbies do you have away from the track?

A I love to read, watch movies and listen to music.

Q What has been the highlight of your career?

A The highlight of my career so far is winning the gold medals in 5000m and 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics.

Q What are your future goals in the sport?

A To win and break more world records and to do the same when I move up in distance.

Q If you were not an international athlete what would you be doing?

A I don't know, I never thought about it.

Q Can you explain why you enjoy running?

A Because it is my career and I have succeeded in it, and it is also something I love to do.