Genzebe Dibaba breaks world indoor 3,000m record in Stockholm

Just five days after breaking the world indoor 1500m record, Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba smashed the world indoor 3000m record at Stockholm’s XL Galan, an IAAF Indoor Permit meeting, with a stunning 8:16.60 run on Thursday (6).

Once again the pacemakers did a perfect job and set Dibaba up perfectly to attack the 8:23.72 mark set by Meseret Defar in 2007.

She covered the first 1500m in 4:11.9 and at 2000m, reached in 5:34.25, Dibaba was more than four seconds quicker than Defar was at the same stage when she set the previous world indoor record seven years ago.

But the 22-year-old showed no signs of slowing and continued to extend her lead over the world indoor champion at the distance, Hellen Obiri.

Having covered the second half in a staggering 4:04.7, Dibaba crossed the line in 8:16.60 to take more than seven seconds from her compatriot’s mark. It is also an outright African record, bettering the 8:23.23 set outdoors by Edith Masai in 2002.

Dibaba covered the final 2000m in 5:27.95 – more than two seconds quicker than the world indoor record for that event.

It is the fastest performance indoors or outdoors since 1993. Only three women – Chinese trio Wang Junxia, Qu Yunxia and Zhang Linli – have ever run faster.

In second place, Obiri set a Kenyan indoor record of 8:29.99.

World champion Abeba Aregawi was the star athlete in the final event of the night. The Swede was always going to be hard-pressed to try to outshine Dibaba, but nevertheless she still produced one of the best runs of her life.

Aregawi charged through the finish line in a European indoor record of 3:57.91 – a mark that, up until last week, would have been a world indoor record, had Dibaba not beaten her to it.

Source: IAAF.org

Result 

Men 800 m

1 Mohammed Aman 94 ETH 1:45.08 WL
2 Marcin Lewandowski 87 POL 1:45.56 SB
3 Kevin López 90 ESP 1:45.69 PB
4 Jeremiah Mutai 92 KEN 1:46.77
5 Musaeb Balla 89 QAT 1:46.82 PB
6 Johan Rogestedt 93 SWE 1:48.49 PB
Jackson Kivuva (pace) 88 KEN DNF

Women 1500 m 
1 Abeba Aregawi*90 SWE 3:57.91 ER MR
2 Gudaf Tsegay 97 ETH 4:08.47 PB
3 Betlhem Desalegn** 91 UAE 4:08.79 PB
4 Renata Plis 85 POL 4:09.19 SB
5 Danuta Urbanik 89 POL 4:10.07
6 Rabab Arrafi 91 MAR 4:11.65
7 Mimi Belete*** 88 BRN 4:12.10 PB
8 Axumawit Embaye 94 ETH 4:12.52

*Sweden-Ethiopian - ** UAE/Ethiopia - ***Bahrain/Ethiopia

Women 3000 m
1 Genzebe Dibaba 91 ETH 8:16.60 WR
2 Hellen Obiri 89 KEN 8:29.99 PB
3 Irene Jelagat 88 KEN 8:40.75
4 Viola Kibiwott 83 KEN 8:43.42 PB
5 Almaz Ayana 91 ETH 8:43.47 PB
6 Senbera Teferi 95 ETH 8:47.94
7 Alia Mohamed Saeed* 91 UAE 8:48.27 PB

*UAE/Ethiopia