Tirunesh Dibaba weds Sileshi Sihine
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia- Adding a personal milestone to a phenomenal year on the track, double Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba today married fellow Ethiopian superstar Sileshi Sihine in a ceremony attended by many of the nation's top athletes.
Between them, the couple has won 20 medals at the Olympics, World Championships and World Cross Country Championships since 2003.
Attending her younger sister as bridesmaid was Ejegayehu Dibaba, herself a 2004 Olympic silver medalist. Among the several hundred weddings guests were Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Meseret Defar and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
After a morning ceremony at the Church of Medhanialem, the newlyweds celebrated with a luncheon at the Hilton Hotel followed by a visit to Meskel Square, where thousands of fans waited to wish them well. From there, the wedding party proceeded to the Sheraton Addis for a lavish reception for relatives and friends. Entering under a canopy of crossed swords, the couple first enjoyed dinner before joining their guests in the Eskista, a traditional Ethiopian dance.
The busy wedding week began on Tuesday, when the couple became officially engaged in a ceremony at City Hall. On Thursday, they visited the Mary Joy Children and Elderly Center to donate clothes to 25 men and 25 women and were greeted with songs.
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