#1 | Performance of 2015

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Genzebe Dibaba Breaks 1500m World Record, Shannon Rowbury Grabs American Record

Genzebe Dibaba stole the show in 2015 when she broke the 1500m World record in 3:50.07 at the Monaco Diamond League. “But other people broke world records, too!” Well, did their records stand as long as this one? Probs not. For years no woman had come close to the former record of 3:50.46 held by China’s Qu Yunxia, set in 1993. And Dibaba enlisted in the help of World Indoor 800m Champion Chanelle Price to break this record in thrilling fashion.

The Ethiopian went through the opening 400m in just over 60-seconds behind Price. Though she fell off pace in the second lap, she split 60-seconds in the third lap and knew that it would be a race against the clock if she was going to break this record.

Dibaba ran what some half milers dream of running (Um, yeah that was me a long time ago) and split the final 800m in 2:01. 



After Dibaba casually ran 3:54.11 in Spain a week prior, we knew there was a possibility of the record going down, because nobody had come close to the mark since 1997.

Not the be overlooked in the race is American Shannon Rowbury, who broke Mary SlaneyÂ’s American record from 1983 by running 3:56.29 to finish third in the field. Though Dibaba was what looked like worldÂ’s away from the rest of the field, a race between top Americans Rowbury and Jenny Simpson was equally exciting. Simpson came close to SlaneyÂ’s record last season, but it was Rowbury who got her name etched in the record books after this performance.