Ethiopia’s Tsegay one of the standouts of 2021 athletics indoor season

Ethiopia’s Tsegay shines in 2021 indoor athletics season

JOHANNESBURG, March 18 (ANA) – With the World Athletics 2021 indoor season drawing to a close, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay was one of the standout performers.

Tsegay was one of just four athletes during the season who set a new world record. Tsegay set a new world mark in the women’s 1500m when she crossed the line in 3:53.09 at the Arena Stade Couvert, Liévin, in France on February 9.

During the race, the world bronze medallist followed the swift early tempo as the pacemaker led the field through 400m (58.97) and exited just before 800m, which Tsegay passed in 2:05.94.

With three laps to go, Tsegay had a four-second lead over double European indoor champion Laura Muir but she showed no signs of slowing down, passing through 1000m in 2:37.36.

The clock read 2:52.9 with two laps to go and Tsegay maintained her pace with another lap just outside 30 seconds. She dug in for the final circuit and crossed the line in 3:53.09, taking more than two seconds off the world indoor record set by compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe in 2014.

“I’m very happy to set a world indoor record,” said Tsegay. “I have been training really hard and I set myself a target to break the world indoor record.”

Less than a week after breaking the 1500m world indoor record, Tsegay cracked the top-10 in the women’s 800m of all time with her victory in the Meeting de L’Eure at the Jesse Owens Arena in Val-de-Reuil, France, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting.

Tsegay crossed the line in 1:57.52 to move up to ninth on the all-time list. Her performance was also a national indoor record and second to Maria Mutola’s 1:57.06 on the African all-time list. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman