Dibaba Sisters, The Fastest Family On The Planet

Dibaba Sisters, The Fastest Family On The Planet


The Dibaba sisters Tirunesh, Genzebe, Anna, and Melat are from Ethiopia, they are the only siblings in recorded history to hold concurrent world records in running, and have 4 Olympic gold medals, 2 silvers, 3 bronze and 15 World Championships

The sisters have always revealed that they were inspired into athletics by their cousin Derartu Tulu; whose name is in the books of history as the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the 1992 games.

Ejegayehu Dibaba: Long-distance runner and 2004 Olympic silver medallist at 10,000 meters. She is the older sister.

Tirunesh Dibaba: Long-distance runner, achieved multiple Olympic and World Championships gold medals and world records. She is the middle sister of Ejegayehu and Genzebe Dibaba.

Tirunesh holds three Olympic gold medals, five world championship medals, and is also the 5000m world record holder. She got married to fellow track-and-field Olympic medalist Sileshi Sihine in 2008 at a wedding ceremony that drew half a million people and was televised nationally in Ethiopia. They are blessed with a son named Nathan.




Genzebe Dibaba: long-distance runner and 2015 1,500-meter World Champions gold medalist. Genzebe, the younger sister of Ejegayehu and Tirunesh, won the IAAF's Athlete of the Year award in 2015; which is the most coveted honour in athletics after breaking her first outdoor world record (1500m) and winning the 1500m title. She broke three world indoor records in a span of two weeks in 2014, a feat that saw her crowned the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award.

Mare Dibaba: marathon runner and 2015 World Championships marathon winner.

According to their mother, Gutu, her daughters have run their way into success as a result of a loving environment; and a steady supply of milk from the family livestock. The Dibabas grew up in what could be described as squalor in a mud hut with no electricity but turned their fortunes around running their family into prosperity and prominence.


Credits: Vogue (head photo), mbbaglobal.com (article source)

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