100 of the Most Influential Women in Sport >> Athletes

Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia

Runner

Dibaba is an enduring figure in sport in more ways than one. The Ethiopian is arguably the greatest female long-distance runner of all time and has reinvented herself in recent years as a marathon specialist, all while being introduced to motherhood in 2015. Indeed, just three years after her marathon debut in London, she returned to the English capital in 2017 and recorded the third-fastest time by a woman ever (2:17.56) behind winner Mary Keitany, who has many more years of experience over the distance. The race is on to crack Paula Radcliffe’s time of 2:15.25, and the 33-year-old has a good a shot as any of creating history at the London Marathon this April in a field that contains the four fastest women of all-time behind the British record holder. Dibaba won the Chicago Marathon in October 2017, the achievement joining her eight Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5,000 and 10,000m from earlier in her career.

– In 2003, at the age of 18, she became the youngest gold medallist at a World Championships thanks to winning the 5,000m in Paris.

– Dibaba’s 5,000m world record time of 14:11.15, set in Oslo, has stood for 11 years.

– The season after giving birth to her son, she ran the fourth fastest female time across 10,000m in history at the Olympics, finishing third in an unprecedented race.

Did you know…

Dibaba’s journey in athletics was inspired by her cousin, Derartu Tulu, who won Olympic gold over 10,000m in 1992 and 2000. Her sisters Ejegayehu and Genzebe are also world-class athletes.

“At the (2017) World Championships in London I was still running the 10,000m. Since then I have passed my “apprenticeship” and feel I am a real marathon runner now.” – Dibaba

Twitter: @tirudibaba

Instagram: tdibaba