MONACO, (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s world indoor champion Genzebe Dibaba broke the 22-year-old world women’s 1,500 metres record on a sultry night at the Monaco Diamond League meeting yesterday with a time of three minutes 50.07 seconds. The younger sister of three-times Olympic gold medallist and world 5,000 metres record holder Tirunesh Dibaba, ran the final lap on her own after the pacemaker dropped out.
Chinese Qu Yunxia’s set the previous mark of 3:50.46 in Beijing on Sept. 11, 1993.
Dibaba, 24, told a news conference she had been confident she could run a fast time in Monaco after setting an African record of 3:54.11 in Barcelona this season.
She said she had been concentrating on her speed this year and training with male partners but was to still to decide whether she would run the 1,500 or 5,000 at next month’s Beijing world championships after yesterday’s race.
“Most of the girls can’t stay with me in training,” she said. “It just has to be guys.”
Five personal bests were set in the race and another eight in the men’s 1,500 where Kenyan world champion Asbel Kiprop produced a stunning display of front running to win in three minutes 26.69 seconds. Only world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj and Bernard Lagat have ever run faster.
Algeria’s Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi was second in a personal best of 3:28.75, more than two seconds slower than Kiprop.
Britain’s European record holder Mo Farah, the Olympic and world champion over 5,000 and 10,000 metres, chased Kiprop hard but could never close the gap and eventually finished fourth behind Morocco’s Abdelaati Iguider who also recorded a personal best.
“At the bell I saw 2:31, 2:32 so I knew it could be a very fast time,” said Kiprop. “I admit I would have liked a faster time but it’s great and confirms my shape before Beijing.”
