New 1500m world record for Dibaba
New 1500m world record for Dibaba
Genzebe Dibaba is now a world record holder. The Ethiopian’s 3:55.17 indoor 1500m run at the IAAF Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany broke the previous mark of 3:58.28, set by Russia’s Yelena Soboleva in 2006.
The record required a fast finish from Dibaba. The race, which went out below record pace, needed a strong second half from the reigning indoor 1500m world champion for her to break the mark. After Slovenia’s Sonja Novel hit the first quarter mile in 1:02.39, the half-mile mark was passed in just 2:08.96. The target split for an evenly run 3:58.28 1500m is 2:07.08.
The attempt could have been called off then, but Dibaba pushed hard over the last 500m. She was roughly 2:41 at the 1000m mark, which was still two seconds slower than what she needed to be to break Soboleva’s record. Dibaba then injected an incredible amount of pace (~29.7 for 200m) as she managed to hit 1200m in 3:10.47.
With a lap and a half left of the Karlsruhe track, the record chase was not only back on, but a new world record looked inevitable. Dibaba maintained her acceleration over the last 300m to shatter the previous mark by just over three seconds. Her last 300m was run in 44.30.
Below are our approximate the splits for Dibaba and the target pace in order to run an even 3:58.28. Additionally, we’ve updated the top ten all-time indoor 1500m marks, which already had Dibaba at #6 from her run in Karlsruhe two winters ago. Now, she's at the top.
Top 10 all-time indoor 1500m marks| Split | Dibaba's Time | Target Pace |
| 200m | 30.5 | 31.77 |
| 400m | 1:02.39 | 1:03.54 |
| 600m | 1:35.3 | 1:35.31 |
| 800m | 2:08.96 | 2:07.08 |
| 1000m | 2:40.8 | 2:38.85 |
| 1200m | 3:10.47 | 3:10.62 |
| 1400m | 3:40.1 | 3:42.39 |
| Finish | 3:55.17 | 3:58.28 |
1 3:55.17 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 08.02.91 1 Karlsruhe 01.02.2014 2 3:58.28 Yelena Soboleva RUS 03.10.82 1 Moskva 18.02.2006 3 3:58.40 Abebe Arigawi SWE 05.07.90 1 Stockholm 21.02.2013 4 3:59.75 Gelete Burka ETH 15.02.86 1 Valencia 09.03.2008 5 3:59.79 Maryam Yusuf Jamal BRN 16.09.84 2 Valencia 09.03.2008 6 3:59.98 Regina Jacobs USA 28.08.63 1 Boston 01.02.2003 7 4:00.13 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 08.02.91 1 Karlsruhe 12.02.2012 8 4:00.2+ Mary Slaney USA 04.08.58 1 Houston 16.02.1980 9 4:00.27+ Doina Melinte ROU 27.12.56 1 East Rutherford 09.02.1990 10 4:00.72 Natalya Gorelova RUS 18.04.73 1rA Moskva 27.02.2003