Dibaba set for Birmingham Indoor date

Double Olympic gold medallist and World record holder, Tirunesh Dibaba, has confirmed she will run at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on 21 February.

Dibaba, who smashed the 5000m World record by over five seconds in June this year, will head to the National Indoor Arena to compete in the 3000m which she won at the same meet in 2006. On her last visit to the UK, Dibaba won the World cross-country in Edinburgh and is looking forward to a successful return.

Ian Stewart, National Endurance Coach at UKA is excited about the prospect of having Dibaba in Birmingham.

“Dibaba is possibly the best female long distance runner in the world at the moment, so to have her at our meet in February is an exciting opportunity for both athletics fans and our home-grown athletes.

“It’s great news for the British girls as it will give them the opportunity of facing the best in the world on home turf and ensure they raise their game ahead of the European Indoor Championships.”

Dibaba has set her sights on breaking the 3000m World record - which is currently held by arch rival, Meseret Defar - having already broken the 5000m record three times. The 3000m record could well be a target for Dibaba as she lines up on the start line in Birmingham, in what is building to be one of the top meetings in the World for the indoor season.

Uk Athletics for the IAAF