| Gebrselassie, Dibaba, and Sihine plan road returns |
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3 November 2009- Three of Ethiopia's distance runners- Haile Gebrselassie, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Sileshi Sihine- have lined up returns to road running action in November and January. November will see the long-awaited return of Olympic double 5000m and 10000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba and her husband Sileshi Sihine who will make an appearance at the 26th Fortis Zevenheuvelenloop (Seven Hills), a 15km race in Njimegen, Netherlands. Dibaba has endured a turbulent year in 2009 running just three 5000m races in New York, London, and the World Athletics Final in Thessonliniki, Greece and will be hoping to run her first road race since April 2005 where she equalled the world 5km road best, which was later improved by compatriot Meseret Defar. But this will be her first ever appearance over the 15km, although she will be joined by experienced road racer Bezunesh Bekele in the Dutch city. In contrast, her husband Sihine has plenty of experience on the roads. In addition to winning the 2004 and 2007 editions of the race, the 26-year old nearly broke Felix Limo's world record at the event in 2004. Organizers or the athletes did not mention the possibility of world records in their release, but the course has a reputation of producing fast times. Limo's world record time of 41.29 (later equalled by Deriba Merga this year) and the women's course record time by Mestawet Tufa in 2008 were both set on this course. |
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