Ethiopian Federation Does Not Select Genzebe Dibaba For 1500m World Team
Ethiopian Federation Does Not Select Genzebe Dibaba For 1500m World Team
Just four days removed from running the 1500m World record in Monaco, Genzebe Dibaba was back in the headlines today as the Ethiopian Athletics Federation made the shocking announcement that Dibaba was only selected for the 5,000m at the IAAF World Championships next month.
The 24-year-old, who broke Qu Yunxia’s 22-year-old World record with her stunning 3:50.07 performance on Friday, told the media afterwards that she would in fact pursue the unprecedented double gold in Beijing.
"One thing is clear I will double at World Championships [1500m and 5000m]. And let’s try for 5000m World record after Beijing," Dibaba told the Diamond League in Monaco.
A double may have seemed obvious to Dibaba in the immediate aftermath of her thrilling run in Monaco, but the EAF may be more interested in assuring a gold in at least one event instead of risking the fatigue and stress that would come with racing five times over nine days, which is what a 1500/5000m double would require.
It should be noted that all three rounds of the 1500m conclude before the start of the 5,000m competition at Worlds.
It’s a surprising announcement given the timing, and also because Dibaba would be heavily favored in the 1500m at Worlds if she was to run, seeing that she won by nearly six seconds in Monaco over the top competitors in the World.
The IAAF did note today that the Ethiopian Federation’s decision could potentially change after discussions between Dibaba, her coach, and the Federation. The time-table for those discussions and whether or not Dibaba will challenge the federation’s decision were not made known.
Even if she does not compete in the 1500m, Dibaba will be favored to win gold in the 5,000m. The Ethiopian set the indoor World record (14:18.86) in February, and has already won three Diamond League 5,000m races in 2015, with her resounding victory over fellow Ethiopian and World leader Almaz Ayana in Paris being her most impressive. The 24-year-old Dibaba ran 14:15.41 in the French capital on July 4th, fourth fastest all-time.