Dibaba the fighter in fine shape ahead of Olympics

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

OSLO (AFP) — Tirunesh Dibaba looked down and out halfway through her bid to break the world record in the women's 5000m.

But once again the diminutive Ethiopian showed the fighting spirit she also displayed in coming from behind to win both the 10,000m at last year's world championships in Osaka and the world cross-country in Edinburgh in March.

Pace-setter Anna Alminova took Dibaba through the first 2000m during the record bid at the Bislett Games here on Friday, the second in the six-leg Golden League series.

But the Russian fell off the pace, which was taken up briefly by Dibaba's sister Ejegayehu, before Tirunesh came to the fore, took the race by the scruff of the neck and recorded 65.86 and 63.99sec times for the final two laps.

The 22-year-old...