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| 2010 WOMEN FIRST champion Sule Utura on a sweet victory in her home city |
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2010 WOMEN FIRST champion Sule Utura on a sweet victory in her home city It was nice to beat Koreni. She is a strong runner. I waited until the final kilometer before taking the lead. Why was that? I’m quite slight as a runner and it was windy on Sunday. I thought it was better for me to hide behind the others. You know Koreni quite well, don’t you? We are in the same club, and sometimes we train together. But she has recently moved up to the marathon, so maybe we don’t train as much now. Were you surprised to beat the course record by so much? Last year I ran 15:47 for 5k on the track. I know I am faster than that now, so it was no big surprise to run that time. Have you ever won 10,000 birr in a race in Ethiopia? No, this is my biggest prize for a race in Ethiopia. And abroad? The biggest prize I’ve ever won was a $5,000 bonus for winning the world junior 5,000m title two years ago. When did you start competing internationally? I first came to Addis in 2006 and first raced abroad in 2007. That was for an Ethiopian team competing in an Ekiden Relay in China. We finished 2nd. How did you win selection for that race? A few weeks before that I had run the Jan Meda Cross Country and won the 4km race for regional athletes. Overall, I finished 11th in the race which was won by Workitu Ayano. What was it like to win the world junior title two years ago? That was special for me. Genzebe was expected to win. There were also some strong Kenyans in the race. I decided to lead, and ended up leading for most of the race, apart from one lap when Genzebe went in front. Was that when you found a manager? No, I first made contact with Gianni in Mombasa in 2007. I finished 4th in the junior race there behind 3 Kenyans. Genzebe was 5th. Who is in your training group now? The defense team is very strong: Koreni, Genet Yalew, Emebet Etaa. We work with Gemedu our coach who has quite a lot of experience. How did you start running? I started running as a schoolgirl in my home region. I used to live quite a long way from school. It usually took us about one hour to walk to school each day. As one of the older children in my family, I often left home late and ended up running to school. It only took me 20 minutes. Where is your home region? My home is in Bore woreda in Guji zone in Borena about 500km south of Addis Ababa. There aren’t many athletes coming from that part of Ethiopia? They are starting to emerge now. Dube Jilo is from my home region – he is one of my uncles – and Kutre Dulecha. The athletics federation started up a project there a few years ago. What made you want to become a runner? Actually, I loved learning in the classroom and that was what I wanted to do when I was young. Then a sports teacher came to the school, and from then on I always wanted to do sport – and be the winner. We played a lot of volleyball. At school there was also a big field where we used to run. But I didn’t have a big desire to be a runner. Had you heard of any famous runners at that time? I knew of Derartu. Her picture was one one of our textbooks, with details about her height and weight. So how did you start to make progress? There were some running races at our school. Of all the 15 classes in the school, I was the best runner, and then went forward to represent the woreda, and then the region in bigger competitions. I was only 16 then. I finished 3rd in a 6km race in Shashemene, and after that was taken to Asela for 3 weeks’ training. From there we came to Addis Ababa to compete at Jan Meda. What was it like, arriving in a big city? It was a bit scary. I came with two others, and we were told to stay in the camp so that we didn’t get lost. The people at the camp looked after us. After about 8 months of living and training there, I got used to everything. Did you continue with your schooling in Addis? Yes, I finished 10th grade at Agazi School near Mexico Square. You’ve come a long way since your schooldays, how has your life changed? For a few years after I started running, I didn’t realize that there were any real benefits in continuing with my training. But over the last three years I have seen the benefits. I’m really committed now. You missed out on selection for the world cross-country championships this year. Was that a disappointment? Yes, I finished 7th in the trials and so was not selected. I’m 20 years old now, so am out of the junior ranks. Competing for the first time in the senior race was tough, particularly because the pace kept changing. At the end of the 2nd lap Meselech upped the tempo and from then I found it very hard. So your plans now? I am racing in Italy this weekend, and when I come back I will start getting ready for the track. Last year I finished 2nd behind Genzebe in the national 5,000m, and this year I want to win it. |
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