IS TIRUNESH THE MOST BORING RUNNER IN HISTORY?
Not necessarily, but I would hate to watch the run-off to decide, between her and her cousin Derartu.
Having suffered the mind-numbing experience of watching a woman who can run 14min 11sec for 5000 metres, dawdle through a fifteen and a half minute race against women she knows she can beat, without once taking the lead until the final lap of the Olympic race, took me back 16 years. To the World Cup in Havana in 1992.
Having won the Olympic 10,000 metres title for the first time a month earlier with exactly the same tactics as Tirunesh, ie sit on the front-runner’s shoulder like a baleful parrot, then peck the leader’s ear off, ie, outkick, in this case, Elana Meyer of South Africa in the last lap, Derartu pulled the same parasitical number in Havana.
In a downpour, which had already dampened the proceedings, Derartu followed the Kenyan no 77 (or someone similar), through 24 laps in around 32min 30sec, before sauntering away to win in close to 34mins. It took the ringing of the bell, signalling the last lap to wake the stadium up from its torpor.
What is it with these Ethiopian women? Why do they seem pathologically incapable of leading a race ‘til the final lap. Did they take the example of Miruts (Yifter) in the Moscow Olympics to heart, when he won the 5000/10,000 double with similar tactics? At least in those races, there was an honest pace.
It’s a good job, the Ethiopian men don’t run the same way, at least not always. In Haile’s defence, Paul Tergat probably wouldn’t have let him past in two successive Olympic 10,000 metres finals (1996/2000), until the last lap anyway. But in contrast, the way Kenenisa killed off the challenge of his pursuers in the men’s 5000 metres in Beijing (a four-minute mile from 2000 metres, followed by a 53+sec last lap) was a joy to watch. And I hope Tirunesh was watching.
I was so incensed by her lack of courage and initiative and self-respect that, at her post-5k press conference, I asked why a woman of her capabilities always refused to lead until the last lap. At least that provoked a rapid response, as she administered a fine put-down. A woman whose press conferences are normally as boring as her races, replied, “Now you’ve pointed it out to me, I’ll lead in future”. Taking the p-s, or what? Even I had to laugh, albeit ruefully.
Now, it’s hard enough getting long distance races in most track programmes outside of championships. And there’s nothing more the TV dudes would like than to get rid of them. Then again, they don’t show them anyway. Well, NBC doesn’t. At least BBC feels obliged. But if everyone ran like Tirunesh and her peers, even the IAAF would have a hard time justifying their continuation. These women are doing a disservice to everyone with tedious tactics like this. But most of all, they are doing a disservice to themselves.
Following her own Olympic ‘double’ in Beijing, and successive world titles, the question being widely floated afterwards was, ‘is Tirunesh the best women distance runner of all-time?’.
Not in a million years! Or even the 112 of modern Olympic history.
She’s only won one Olympic title (so far), but give me the likes of Pamela Jelimo anytime.
August 28th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Kenenisa ran the 5000 the way he needed to, fearing the finishing sprint of Bernard Lagat. Tirunesh is under no obligation to you or anyone else to run her races other than she sees fit. You display ignorance when you say “women she knows she can beat”, because she actually has a losing record, lifetime, against Meseret Defar, who also held the world record until Dibaba broke it. Defar beat her in the 2004 Olympics 5K, and also beat her in 2006 in a race that knocked Dibaba out of the running for the “Golden League” jackpot. If Dibaba can outkick the other runners, then it is up to THEM, not her, to set a fast pace to try to either drop her or tire her so she cannot sprint at the end. Abeylegesse tried that in Osaka last summer in the 10K and again in Beijing. She failed.
You question her courage. Did you see last summer’s 10K? She was suffering from a stomach ailment, and she also was involved in an accident during the race and nearly fell. She dropped well back from the entire pack. I thought she was going to drop out, but she gutted it out, caught back up, and won the race, despite Abeylegesse’s excellent effort. It was one of the most remarkable, courageous efforts I have ever seen, and I have been following Athletics since 1960.
Not only that, but your English sucks!
it’s = “it is”
its = belonging to “it”
Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA, USA
August 28th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
1) Tirunesh Dibaba did not win any titles in the Athens Olympics.
2) She won two Olympic titles in Beijing.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
she’s only won one olympic title? did you miss her running the 2nd fastest 10k time ever to win her 1st title, followed by the 5k? sounds like two to me!
August 28th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
It’s called winning. If the others don’t like it they should try and run faster. If they can’t be bothered I fail to see why the sublime Ms Dibaba should change her own successfull tactics. Any woman who can run a 57 ses last lap would be stupid to emply any other tactics.
By the way, why no mention of her amazing 10k win??? She ran the 2nd fastest time ever in that event.
August 28th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
You must be kidding. She’s the most successful female distance runner of the past decade and you’re taking her to task for not entertaining you enough? And then calling her cowardly and lacking in self-respect in the bargain, just for consistently outrunning her competition in a style that doesn’t suit your personal sense of aesthetics. What a total whining ass you make of yourself here - unlike Ms. Dibaba, who has done everything required of her to get to the top of her profession and to remain there.
August 28th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Dibaba did not win the 5000 in Athens
August 28th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Pat,
You are an idiot.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:20 am
apologies to all who pointed out that Tirunesh didn’t win the 5k in Athens. I’m travelling in the wild west of China, and news about that never got through
August 29th, 2008 at 1:56 am
How on earth did that woman run 14:11? Surely jogging for 11 laps and then running that time must rank as the greatest athletic achievement ever (at least by a woman).
The Dibaba/Defar duels are some of the most exciting races in women’s running history to date. Give me that last lap gunfight any day over some sad sack front runner who collapses like a tent to her challengers.
Alan covered most of the important aspects. Tiru was at least gracious enough not to present her middle finger in answer to your inquiry, as I would have done
August 29th, 2008 at 8:54 am
berch yega anbesa
August 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Dibaba has the olympic gold medals, the world championship titles and the fast times/world records. It seems like she’s getting the job done to me.
Pat, if you want to entertained go to a Vegas show or something because let’s face it, long distance running is not very exiting. It’s not Dibaba’s fault.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am
[…] Bekele a boring winner, but athletics journalist Pat Butcher has gone a bit controversial and said just that about Tirunesh […]
August 29th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
sorry (again) about that brief response earlier, I was dashing to catch a plane.
insofar as folks have mentioned the terrific 10k in BJ, as far as I’m concerned that reinforces my thesis, she didn’t lead ’til the last lap
forget the paced stuff, it’s another bore
this is a woman who must surely know she can win at any pace, so why be so lacking in ambition?
on a grammatical point, would Alan Shank please get back in touch, and point out exactly where I confounded ‘it’s’ and ‘its’?
I’ve scoured this piece, written admittedly quickly (that’s what journos often do), and I fail to find it. And, rest assured, I have not modified this.
I’ll gladly apologise for my poor English, all the more galling for a former English teacher.
On the other hand, if Alan is wrong, I’m the one expecting an apology. Also, would you tell me Alan why so many people on the internet find it necessary to be so insulting, ie ‘your English sucks’?
I’ve presented what I think is a tenable thesis, you can disagree with me all you like, but why so angry?
Look at one of my earlier pieces about the pond-life which infests the internet.
as for fearing the finishing sprint of Lagat, do me a favour?
in conclusion, I’d like to think you guys read these peices as carefully as I try to write them (notwithstanding the occasional factual error)
as that great Catholic philosopher, GK Chesterton wrote, ‘Life’s too important to be taken seriously’.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
wake the stadium up from it’s torpor.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Yes…. everybody is right you are an idiot…. you do not know anything about running. Ethiopian runners are the most succesfull runners in the last two decades.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:36 am
I stand corrected on my grammar, obviously should’ve spent some time as a sub-editor
but I stand fast on my critique
August 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Pat,
You are right, Dibaba is boring.
She should have won by running on one leg, with an arm tied behind her back.
Thus, she would have showed some greatness and gave us some fun.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I think everyone is misunderstanding Pat. He, like many people who long for action and odd stuff, wants to see either complete domination or close duels between runners. I agree.
I also expect Ethiopian runners to shake off their shy demeanor and at least open up for the media. The other day I was seeing on TV her press conference from Beijing on TV. Tirunesh had to be begged by the interpreter to elaborate her answers. She looked like she could not wait to get out of the room into her private comfort zone. I am not sure media folks can take being disrespected.
Congratulations Pat! Other people would be very afraid of telling things as they are. You tell it as it is!
August 30th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Dibaba’s racing tactics aside (which I agree with the majority here are quite brilliant), I do think though Pat has raised some valid points regarding athlete responsibility to the larger image of the sport. Tirunesh has become very wealthy from athletics, this wouldn’t have been possible without event/ TV/sport sponsorship. Someone in her position has an obligation to continue the positive / entertaining image of the sport to insure continued sponsorship, not only for herself but also for future athletes. The best example of an athlete who has fulfilled this role is Haile G. He is a master at showmanship who should be the role model for African athletes and how they interact with the western media and sponsors. Managers should encourage their athletes to become more engaging of the fans and media; just contrast Tirunesh to Paula R. for example. Dibaba is truly brilliant athlete, and it’s a shame that outside of us athletics enthusiasts most people wouldn’t know her from Adam.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Thanks for saying it all out loud, Pat.
Flumpy, you mentioned Dibaba’s fast time in the 10000m, but if it wasn’t for Lornah Kiplagat and Elva Abeylegesse, that race would have been pretty much as boring as the 5000.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:44 am
Pat, Pat, Pat. I’m a little surprised that someone with your level of experience in viewership (as noted on the home page here; Munich, etc.) and participation (you are running in that picture, right?) is taking this position.
It’s a little bit like music. The young, naive teenagers find classical music a bore and would never be caught dead listening to it. Where is the blazing guitar riff, the thumping drum solo, the hypnotic base line? It doesn’t get their blood flowing.
Ah, but to the musician, to the one who has actually tried to play the violin or piano, there is nothing to compare to, say, a Mozart sonata. Only those who have tried to ascend and failed can appreciate the masterpiece, along with those that have the ability and perseverence to create them. They have moved from the realm of mere music to the realm of art.
There are a variety of weapons in running, ways to win races. Unfortunately, most runners must choose from an assortment wherein each has some shortcoming. Starting fast, surging, making a break, a long kick; all can be effective, but there is no guarantee that someone else in the race doesn’t have a better weapon.
What every runner is trying to attain by the mileage, by the intervals, the hills, the sprints, the drills, by running up sand dunes until you vomit…what every runner is working for, Dibaba has. She has IT. Since 2005, she can hang with any pace, any surge and still outkick the field (usually). She has the death ray, and every runner on the track would have it if they could. She acquired it by dint of talent, yes, but no less so by hard work. Don’t think for a second that she is coasting through her workouts on her gift.
I submit that, in a championship race, which is where she employs this tactic (because you can’t say that about all her races, and that’s where some of your argument breaks down), it would be borderline sacriligious not to bury the field on the last lap. That is her masterpiece, and the initiated, those that can appreciate it for the art that it is, rise and applaud her.
Make no mistake, Pat. The Tulus spawn the Radcliffes. Those that are hungry for the victory but don’t possess the killer kick will try to find another way to win, and someone will. It raises the level of everyone’s game.
BTW, no doubt you caught the 2005 WC 10K. That was the race where THREE Ethiopian women took off at the bell and raced the last lap all out, Dibaba winning. Even my wife, a stranger to track racing, was dumbfounded and awestruck at the beauty and power of these women.
BTW, how was it that Said Aouita won the L.A. 5K? I honestly can’t remember, but I’ll bet it was with a last lap kick, and that he didn’t lead much of the race, if any.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
The intent of racing is to win. Dibaba wins.
October 27th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Eventhough your wish seems an honest one, your expression is not a good one. Are you the most frank person in history? I doubt you to be even for a second. I do not appreciate your choice of words. I hope that Tirunesh will not be demoralised by this expression. I admit that the Ethiopian athletes should be open to the media and communicate with journalists. Speaking English is not mandatory. They can use their native language in which they can express themselves better.
Don’t you think that she is running against time? She wouldn’t have lowered the world record if she didn’t have the courage and the confidence in herself. Do you want to watch a Dibaba leading the whole race and submit the title to another competitor?
July 14th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Apparently you feel fast times are more important than winning. You seem to want to be entertained and see records fall. Please do not subject anyone else to such tripe.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Tiru is one of the greatest athletes in the world today. She has a blistering finish and stamina. These atributes are enough to win against all competition. Her action is a joy to watch and is entertaining even when she is out on her own as when she broke the 5000 mtrs. indoor world record. She is called the baby faced destroyer because she does just that to any opposition. As far as he media and press conferences are concerned she is a very shy young lady and speaks through interpreters
September 4th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Beauty is skin deep and is a combination for looks and your character traits like humility, truthfulness, willingness to help others, a smiling nature, the kindness you have for others, the love you share. Most of the times it is these traits that make you more beautiful than your figure or features.
February 27th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
yeah, East Africans are killing it for you. Funny thing you watch sports in which you win. Well then your loss, long distance running is huge in East Africa. What next football?