1. Tirunesh Dibaba is an Ethiopian long-distance runner athlete who competes in long-distance track events and international road races.
53 Facts About Tirunesh Dibaba
1. 2.
Tirunesh Dibaba has won three Olympic track gold medals, five World Championship track gold medals, four individual World Cross Country adult titles, and one individual WCC junior title.
3.
Tirunesh Dibaba is the one of two women who won the short and long course World Cross Country title at the same championship.
4.
Tirunesh Dibaba comes from a sporting family of several Olympic medalists, which includes her sisters Genzebe and Ejegayehu, and her cousin, Derartu Tulu.
5.
The matriarch of the Dibaba athletics dynasty, Tirunesh is the most decorated of the family.
6.
Tirunesh Dibaba was born in the village of Bekoji, Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region and the fourth of six children.
7.
Tirunesh Dibaba began competing in athletics at the age of 14.
8.
Tirunesh Dibaba was raised in the high-altitude Arsi Zone in Oromia, Ethiopia but has lived in Addis Ababa, the capital, since 2000.
9.
Tirunesh Dibaba earned a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, 1.05 seconds behind Meseret Defar and just 0.05 seconds ahead of bronze medalist Vivian Cheruiyot.
10.
In Paris at her World Championships debut, Tirunesh Dibaba won the 5000 metres in a sprint finish against Marta Dominguez of Spain and Edith Masai of Kenya.
11.
At the Summer Olympics in Athens, Tirunesh Dibaba finished third in the 5000 metres, behind Meseret Defar and Kenyan Isabella Ochichi.
12.
Tirunesh Dibaba faded during the last 1000 metres after running with Tirunesh through 4000 metres in a hand-timed 11:46.2.
13.
Tirunesh Dibaba was the second woman, the other being Sonia O'Sullivan, to win two events since these championships began in 1998.
14.
Tirunesh Dibaba out-sprinted her sister Ejegayehu and Adere to win the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
15.
Tirunesh Dibaba won five of the six Golden League 5000 metre races, which earned her a bonus of US$83,333.
16.
Tirunesh Dibaba won the 5000 metres at the World Athletics Final.
17.
Tirunesh Dibaba held this record until Meseret Defar broke it on 18 February 2009 in Stockholm with a finish time of 14:24.37.
18.
Tirunesh Dibaba won despite having a mid-race tumble and abdominal pains throughout the race.
19.
Tirunesh Dibaba thus became the only woman to win consecutive 10,000 metre titles at the World Championships.
20.
Tirunesh's sister Ejegayehu Dibaba finished in third place with a time of 14:36.78.
21.
Six days later, Tirunesh Dibaba defeated her sister Ejegayehu by 0.68 seconds in the 10,000 metres at the Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
22.
Seven days later, Tirunesh Dibaba won the 5000 metres, defeating the defending champion Meseret Defar by 2.72 seconds.
23.
Tirunesh Dibaba was nominated for IAAF World Athlete of the Year, which was won instead by Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva for the third time.
24.
Injuries prevented Tirunesh Dibaba from competing in the World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan and the World Championships in Berlin.
25.
Tirunesh Dibaba successfully defended her 10,000 metres title at the African Championships in Nairobi with a finish time of 31:51.39.
26.
Tirunesh Dibaba returned to racing on 31 December 2011 to win the 10 kilometre San Silvestre Vallecana Silver Label Road Race in Madrid, Spain by overcoming Gelete Burka in a sprint finish.
27.
Tirunesh Dibaba's winning margin over second-place finisher Meseret Defar was more than 6 seconds.
28.
Tirunesh Dibaba had one of the fastest ever half marathon debuts while winning in a time of 1:07:35.
29.
Tirunesh Dibaba defeated the marathon gold medalists from the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2011 World Championships, Tiki Gelana and Edna Kiplagat, respectively, even though both ran personal bests.
30.
Tirunesh Dibaba's pacer quit at the 1 kilometre mark, and she finished in 9:13.17, seven seconds off the record.
31.
Tirunesh Dibaba finished ahead of five countrywomen, including London Olympian Belaynesh Oljira.
32.
Tirunesh Dibaba won with a finishing time of 30:26.67, with Gladys Cherono Kiprono of Kenya finishing second in 30:29.23 and Belaynesh Oljira finishing third.
33.
Just nine days later on 6 July at the Diamond League meeting in Paris, Tirunesh Dibaba clocked the fastest 5000 metres by any woman since 2008: 14:23.68.
34.
Tirunesh Dibaba was the favourite to win the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Moscow.
35.
Tirunesh Dibaba shadowed the leaders during the race until taking the lead with 500 metres remaining and sprinting to her fifth individual World Championships gold medal.
36.
Genzebe Tirunesh Dibaba took the lead after the last pacer dropped out, but she quit the race with 600 metres remaining.
37.
Tirunesh Dibaba then took the lead, with Defar close behind, before Defar passed her in the last 100 metres.
38.
Three days later in Tilburg, Netherlands, Tirunesh Dibaba attempted to break Paula Radcliffe's 10 kilometer road race world record of 30:21.
39.
Tirunesh Dibaba broke the Ethiopian national record by 19 seconds.
40.
Tirunesh Dibaba made her marathon debut at the 2014 London Marathon.
41.
Tirunesh Dibaba finished third in a time of 2:20:35,14 seconds behind winner Edna Kiplagat and 11 seconds behind Florence Kiplagat.
42.
Tirunesh Dibaba stopped briefly near the 30 kilometre mark to pick up a dropped water bottle.
43.
Tirunesh Dibaba returned to the track in 2016 to qualify for and run in the 10,000 metres at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
44.
Tirunesh Dibaba did not compete in the 5000 metres at the Olympics for the first time since 2004.
45.
In perhaps the greatest 10,000 metres race of all time, Tirunesh Dibaba ran the fourth fastest time in history while winning the bronze medal.
46.
Tirunesh Dibaba again ran the London Marathon, finishing in second place in a time of 2:17:56.
47.
Tirunesh Dibaba won a gold medal during the 40th edition of the marathon, with a time of 2:18:30.
48.
Tirunesh Dibaba won the Great Manchester Run road 10K for the third consecutive time and fifth time overall the following month.
49.
Tirunesh Dibaba is married to 2004 and 2008 Olympic 10,000 meter silver medallist Sileshi Sihine and they have a son, Nathan Sileshi, born in March 2015.
50.
Tirunesh Dibaba gave birth to a second child named Allon.
51.
Tirunesh Dibaba has an honorary doctorate from Addis Ababa University, and has a hospital on the outskirts of Addis Ababa named after her.
52.
Tirunesh Dibaba has ventured into the hotel industry by establishing an eponymous Three Star hotel, which was set to open at the end of 2013.
53.
Tirunesh Dibaba has not participated in any edition of the IAAF World Indoor Championships.