Background

For Genzebe Dibaba, running and winning are family traditions. Genzebe is the younger sister of Ejegayehu Dibaba, the 2004 Olympic 10,000m silver medalist, and Tirunesh Dibaba, the nine-time world champion and 2008 Olympic 5000m and 10,000m gold medalist. Additionally, all three Dibabas are cousins to living legend Derartu Tulu, the 1992 and 2000 Olympic champion and the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

Given her pedigree, it's not surprising that Genzebe has followed in her older siblings' footsteps as a distance running phenom. In 2007, at just sixteen years of age, Genzebe placed fifth in the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships. The following year she improved on her record, this time winning the World Junior Cross Country title, just as older sister Tirunesh had done four years earlier. That summer, Genzebe began to make a name for herself on the track, taking second against much more experienced runners in the 3000m at the adidas Track Classic, and in capturing a silver medal in the 5000m at the IAAF World Junior Championships. In March 2009, Dibaba won a second gold medal in the Junior Women's 6km at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. In doing so, Dibaba became only second woman in the history of the championships to successfully defend her junior title. One year later, Dibaba improved from her second-place finish in 2008 to take gold in the 5000m at the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships.

Following her older sisters' example of early success, it's not hard to imagine what Genzebe might show the sporting world in the coming years.