London: On a night of defending champions making unlikely comebacks for gold, Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba added another 10,000-meter Olympic title and further established herself as the greatest female long-distance runner in history.
After missing a year due to injury, Dibaba produced a devastating kick with 600 meters to go, leaving the daunting Kenyan rivals in her wake and giving Ethiopia an early edge in the great African distance running rivalry.
"I have never been happier like today," Dibaba said. That takes some beating for a woman who has already won a half dozen world or Olympic gold medals.
And with such a kick and such poise, Dibaba showed she is more than capable of repeating a double Olympic long-distance with the 5,000 meters coming up next Friday.
"I have worked very hard for this. No one has ever done what I did today," Dibaba said of her back-to-back titles in the 10,000.
And as of next year, the work load will likely even increase as she plans to move up to the marathon, just like her compatriot Haile Gebrselassie had done after he had won everything on offer for him on the track.
"That's my future. That's my plan," she said.
Shin splints forced Dibaba to rest last year, and the Kenyans took advantage.
So the 10,000 worked out as a huge face-off between Ethiopia and Kenya, the two traditional African powers.
With 4 kilometers to go, the top five racers already were from the two nations with Ethiopian Werknesh Kidane doing the pacing work to thin the pack to just four when Kenya's Sally Kipyego picked up the pace with 3 laps to go.
Dibaba, even though she is only 26, has years of experience and can pick a decisive moment by instinct.
And 600 meters from the finish line, Dibaba sensed her chance and seemed to break too early for home, especially with double long-distance world champion Vivian Cheruiyot still giving chase.
But instead of Dibaba, the Kenyans folded, and with a stride as easygoing and elegant as any champion will ever have, she seemed to float effortlessly away from her struggling rivals to capture another gold.
She won in a season-leading time of 30 minutes, 20.75 seconds. Kenyans won silver and bronze, with Sally Kipyego finishing second in 30:26.37 and world champion Vivian Cheruiyot placing third in 30:30.44.
And since the Kenyans have been getting an edge in the rivalry with their neighbors, all of Ethiopia was counting on another title from her.
"They gave me a lot of responsibility and I was worried about that because I was not in my best form," Dibaba said. It didn't show.
Dibaba is used to the company of greats by now. He cousin is Derartu Tulu, who won two Olympic 10,000 titles, and she is married to Silleshi Sihine, who won two Olympic 10,000 silvers in the wake of Gebrselassie.
For Dibaba, it is simple. Next week comes the 5,000 and next year the marathon
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