‘It Was Nice’: 23-Year-Old Track and Field Star Revels in Joy After Becoming the 12th Fastest Woman in History

As the 2024 Paris Olympics is only a few pivotal months away, athletes across the globe are gearing up for coveted spots at the big event. Amidst the anticipation, track and field spectators are garnering attention at the TEN, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Event commencing in California. 

Coming up with neon-sign dreams to qualify for the Olympics, athletes across the globe entered the tracks to hit the Olympic Standard for Paris: 27:00:00 for men, whereas 30:40:00 for women. However, amongst these, only eight men and four women athletes made it at lightning speed. While Tsigie Gebreselama roared on the women’s side, Grant Fischer shone brightly on the Men’s side and the former was elated beyond belief at her newest epochal standing. 

Tsigie Gebreselama sets a precedence for young sprinters the world over

Today, Tsigie Gebreselama at the Women’s 10,00om set a new USA all-comers’ record to claim The TEN World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Event. To share this ecstatic news among the spectators, Runnerspace took it to their official Twitter account and posted an interview with Tsigie while penning, “Tsigie Gebreselama Cruises To 12th Fastest Women’s Time In History At @sound_running’s The Ten.”

Soon after entering the tracks, Tsigie Gebreselama took the lead and did not look back before crossing the finish line. She completed the race in just 29:48:34 to qualify for the Olympic standard time. The Ethiopian World Cross Country Silver Medalist not only clinched the title but also improved her personal best, uplifting herself to the ninth position on the World’s all-time list. 

In the same interview posted on RunnerSpace, Tsigie Gebreselama said, “It was nice. My target was under 29:30, but I missed 20 seconds so, but I’m happy.“ Even though Gebreselama finished first and qualified for the Olympic Standard time, she slightly missed her pre-existing envisioned target. Despite all these challenges, Tsigie etched her name in the world records. 

What made Tsigie the 12th fastest woman in history?

Hailing from Ethiopia, Tsigie has been a dominant sprinter since the beginning of her sprinting career. Eventually, this led her to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, she was not able to showcase her prowess on Olympic tracks. But, this time, she is well prepared to not only show her true colors but also stand atop the grand stage. The 23-year-old kickstarted a remarkable portrayal of speed at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, wherein she secured a personal best of 1:05:14 to lead the Women’s race.

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Next in line on Tsigie’s list was the recent list wherein she became the first woman on US soil to break the 30-minute barrier of 10,000m while improving her personal best further. As the 2024 Paris Olympics is only a few days away, spectators are now expecting more from Tsigie. Will Tsigie be able to keep up with these expectations?

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