Tulu
cements her place in history
By Duncan Mackay for the IAAF
August 8 - Edmonton -If Derartu Tulu wasn’t already the greatest female runner
in history, then surely she can lay claim to the title after her stunning
victory in the 10,000 metres at the IAAF World Championships here Tuesday night.
Tulu led an Ethiopian clean-sweep as Paula Radcliffe was once more forced to settle for fourth place. It was a familiar tale as the Briton led at the bell only be swept away by a green tidal wave. Tulu led the charge across the line and was followed by Berhane Adere and Gete Wami.
It means that in the space of less than a year Tulu has regained the Olympic 10,000m crown, won the London Marathon and is now celebrating her first world title.
“I thought any of us could win the race with a sprint in the final straight,” she said. “I was a little surprised by Paula Radcliffe’s tactics, for her to pick up the pace that late was not a good decision, I think.”
Radcliffe had refused to repeat her tactics from Sydney and the 1999 World Championships in Seville, where she had also led almost from the gun only to be out sprinted by Wami.
“I definitely tried something different but I left it too late,” said Radcliffe, who attacked with three laps to go but succeeded only in taking her three Ethiopian rivals away from the rest of the field.
But the moment belonged to Tulu. “I have enjoyed this year,” she said with that brilliant smile that lights up a room. “I think Ethiopia is having a very good year also. Don’t forget there the men’s marathon last week and Haile Gebrselassie tomorrow.”
Tulu, 29, whose previous best performance at the World Championships had been finishing second in the 1995 edition in Gothenburg, added: “I had never won a gold medal in the world championships and this was important.”
Tulu had previously reserved her best championship performances in the 10,000m for the Olympics. In 1992, following a famous symbolic race with the white South African Elana Meyer, she became the first black African woman to win a gold medal. She returned, after an eight-year absence, in Sydney last September to beat her team-mate Wami with a withering last lap sprint.
On this occasion the sprint came down to her and Adere. In the end amid a terrific wall of sound from the 500 Ethiopian supporters gathered on the crown of the final bend it was Tulu’s dip finish which proved to be the decisive fact as she earned the verdict by just 0.04 as she clocked 31min 48.81sec.
Behind them, Wami was staging her own sprint race against Radcliffe. Two years ago in Seville they had been battling it out for the gold medal but on this occasion it was the bronze Wami claimed by 0.08.
“Yes, I am a little disappointed that I didn’t defend my title,” she said. “But the most important thing is that Ethiopia won. I am very proud to have taken part in such an historic race for my country. They will be happy back home.”
Tulu was already a huge star in Ethiopia. The former shepherd and prison officer was promoted from police captain to major after her win in Sydney. She also had a primary school named after her. “Maybe now they will name a town after her,” said Birhan Yonnes, one Ethiopian supporter in the Commonwealth Stadium, only half-jokingly.
“It is probably hard for people outside Ethiopia to understand what the triumphs of our runners mean. All they ever read in the press in Canada about Ethiopia is how poor the country is - except when they write about our runners. That makes us feel good about ourselves.”
Giving hope to a country of 60 million people. Perhaps that was Tulu’s greatest achievement in the Commonwealth Stadium on Tuesday night.
