HELSINKI, Finland (AP) - Teenage sensation Tirunesh Dibaba is halfway to history and just getting started.
The 19 year-old led an Ethiopian sweep yesterday in the women's 10,000 metres at the World Athletics Championships, taking gold in 30 minutes, 24.02 seconds.

Defending champion Berhane Adere was second in 30:25.41, followed by Ejegayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh's older sister, in 30:26.00.

Now Dibaba has a shot at history when she goes for a double in the 5,000 next Saturday - aiming to become the first woman to win both distances at the Worlds.

The three compatriots used a well-timed dash over the last lap to leave the rest of the field, including British star Paula Radcliffe, standing in the cool drizzly rain.

It looked easy as Dibaba, the reigning 5,000-metre world champion, sprinted toward the finish. And the teenager said it felt that way, too.
"I don't have a lot of experience running the 10,000 metres, so I had actually expected it to be faster than this," Dibaba said.

Dibaba has been dominating the distance races this year, winning a world cross country double and then adding the indoor 5,000 world record.

If Kenenisa Bekele, another Ethiopian, owns men's long distance, Dibaba is well on her way to do the same on the women's side. At 19, she could remain a top-level runner for another decade, and she has the talent to become a women's version of Haile Gebreselassie, a two-time Olympic 10,000-metre champion from Ethiopia.

But she said she takes her place in the history books lightly.
"I plan to run as fast as I can and, if God wills, to a medal," Dibaba said about the 5,000. "As far as making history, only God knows that."
But if she keeps improving, the 10,000-metre world record may soon fall to Dibaba as well.

"I haven't really thought about it, but after this, God knows," she said.
Radcliffe, who said she used the race as a tuneup for the marathon, led for much of the way, which Dibaba said helped the Ethiopian trio lay back and prepare for their planned breakout.

"Our plan was to run the end very fast to take the first three positions," Dibaba said. "I haven't run with (Radcliffe) before, but she definitely helped us."

When the Ethiopians made their dash, Radcliffe said she "just didn't have the pace to stay with it in the final stage".

Adere said she was fine with handing the world championship over to a fellow Ethiopian.
"My country won, so I'm very happy," Adere said.

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