Tirunesh and Genzebe Dibaba to run in Ostrava

Ethiopia’s leading distance-running sisters Tirunesh and Genzebe Dibaba are among the latest athletes to sign up for the 52nd Ostrava Golden Spike, an IAAF World Challenge meeting, on June 27.

The Dibaba sisters will run different events. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba will contest the 10,000m, an event in which she has never been beaten. Dibaba holds the Ostrava meeting record with her 31:03.37 clocking from 2008, but her main aim at this year’s meeting will be to clock a time that will confirm her selection for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

Younger sister Genzebe Dibaba, the 2012 World indoor champion, will run the 1500m. “I am looking forward to coming to Ostrava,” she said. “I know I am in good shape at the moment as I ran a PB in Doha (3:57.54). But unfortunately I did not win there, so I will be extra focused to win in Ostrava. It will be a good competition in my preparation for the World Championships this year where I hope to win a gold medal.” Read more