She was away from the track to give birth to her second child. The Ethiopian legend is back on the track. She will be at the start of the Houston semi Marathon on Sunday, January 15.
The 37-year-old runner will compete in the Houston semi Marathon on Sunday, January 15. The Ethiopian legend had completely fallen off the radar. Four years have passed since her last race. It was at the Berlin Marathon in 2018.
The five-time world champion is now ready to return to the highest level. "Houston is a famous race and my training went well," confided the two-time Olympic champion (5000m and 10,000m). It seemed like the best way to test myself and see what could be next."
Tirunesh Diba is one of the greatest runners of all time. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 37-year-old Ethiopian won the 5000m-10000m double, becoming the first athlete to do so. She put her career on hold to give birth to her second child in 2019. The following year, the five-time champion was struck by Covid 19.
The older sister of Genzebe Dibaba and former world record holder in the 5000m (14mn11s15s) will compete in the first half marathon of her career. In Houston, she will face Dominique Scott of South Africa, Jessica Warner-Judd of the United Kingdom and former Olympic 1500m medalist and world champion Jenny Simpson, who will be making her debut.
Diba has a great track record on the road. Winner of the Chicago Marathon in 2017, she had finished second in London the same year. She had settled for third place in Berlin in 2018. She could become even more legendary by winning in Houston.
2023 Houston Half Marathon (Jan. 15) should be one of the best ever. Field includes:
Women
🇺🇸 Emily Sisson (AR holder)
🇪🇹 Tirunesh Dibaba (first race since '18)
🇺🇸 Jenny Simpson (debut)
🇺🇸 Molly HuddleMen
🇰🇪 Edward Cheserek
🇺🇸 Conner Mantz
🇪🇹 Shura Kitata📷@d9monti pic.twitter.com/a33P2NwVCA
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) January 3, 2023
