TIRUNESH Dibaba made a dream start to her half-marathon career as she triumphed in the Great North Run this morning.
Dibaba, who is a three-time Olympic champion on the track, intends to step up to the marathon at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
And she made quite an impression on her half-marathon debut as she kicked clear in the final 400m to triumph on South Shields sea front in a time of 1:07.33.
The Ethiopian finished six seconds clear of world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, with Tiki Gelena, the winner of the Olympic marathon in London, a further seven seconds back in third.
Jo Pavey was the leading British competitor, finishing fifth in a time of 1:09.37 that was just outside her personal best.
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