Dibaba sisters make World Cross Country a family day
EDINBURGH, Scotland (March 30) – It was a day to reaffirm the present and glimpse the future, as 22-year-old Tirunesh Dibaba made history in winning her third long-course World Cross Country crown today shortly after her younger sister, Genzebe, took the Junior title.
 “I was more nervous for her than I was for myself,” said big sister Tirunesh, who interrupted her own warm-up to cheer for Genzebe, shown winning in the photo at left.
In the men’s race, Jorge Torres finished 19th, the top US finisher and the first American to crack the top 20 since 2003.
“I told myself that I wasn't going to be afraid to run with those guys,” Torres said afterward. “I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish in the top 10. I gave it a good honest effort, and that's all that I can ask for.”
With her previous 8-kilometer victories in 2005 and 2006, Tirunesh Dibaba joins her cousin, Derartu Tulu, and Lynn Jennings as three-time long-course winners. Adding her short-course title in 2005 and her Junior title the year before, she joins Grete Waitz of Norway with five individual gold medals and Werknesh Kidane as a winner of eight individual medals overall.
Factoring in the Ethiopian team titles, Tirunesh owns 14 gold medals from the World Cross Country Championships, the most of any athlete in history. But earning that distinction was not the most important motivation for Tirunesh this afternoon at Holyrood Park.
“My younger sister was first earlier today so it was partly to match her that I dug in and put everything I had into the win,” said Tirunesh shortly after her race.
The sisters won in similar fashion, taking the lead on the final hill before the finish. “My sister gave me good advice before the race,” said 17-year-old Genzebe, who last year finished fifth in the Junior division. “I expected to get a medal, but I didn’t expect to win.”
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