BOSTON, Jan 29 s - World champion Tirunesh Dibaba broke the women’s 5,000 metres indoor world record at the Boston Indoor Games today.
Dibaba’s fellow Ethiopian and double world record holder Kenenisa Bekele misjudged the finish and was beaten in the men’s 3,000 metres.
The diminutive 19-year-old Dibaba clocked 14 minutes 32.93 seconds to chop more than six seconds off compatriot Berhane Adere’s world record of 14:39.29 set in Stuttgart in January 2004.
Dibaba’s older sister, Olympic 10,000 metres silver medallist Ejegayehu Dibaba, was second in 14:58.25.
Organisers presented her with a cheque for $25,000 for the world record but the Olympic bronze medallist said it was the Boston fans, not the money, that inspired her.
The fans made me run faster,'' said Dibaba. Two months ago, my training was not going very well and I never thought I could do such a thing. Then, things changed.
``I will go home with some very good memories.’’
Bekele, the world outdoor record holder at 5,000 and 10,000 metres and the Olympic 10,000 champion, sprinted for what he thought was the finish line with 400 metres to go.
But another lap still remained and he was passed by Ireland’s Alistair Cragg, who won in 7:39.89, the fastest time in the world this year.
Bekele came home second in 7:41.42 and admitted he had ``missed the laps’’.
Another Ethiopian, Meseret Defar, narrowly missed a world record in the women’s 3,000 metres when she clocked 8:30.05.
Only Adere’s 2002 time of 8:29.15 is faster.
Laban Rotich led a Kenyan sweep in the mile, winning in a season’s best 3:53.18. Olympic silver medallist Bernard Lagat was close behind in 3:53.61.