NAIROBI (Reuters) - A increasingly bitter rivalry between Ethiopia's two top woman runners has divided public opinion in the African nation.
The conflict between world 5,000 metres champion Tirunesh Dibaba and Olympic title holder Meseret Defar reached a crescendo at the world athletics final in Berlin on September 3, when Defar denied her compatriot a sixth successive Golden League win.
Four athletes, including Dibaba, had already secured five victories which enabled them to share a $500,000 purse. An additional $500,000 was on offer for those achieving a perfect series of sixth wins.
"The public here is divided into two groups. One claims that Meseret is envious and wants to stop Dibaba no matter what. The other group claims that Dibaba got what she deserved because she does not congratulate or hug Defar when the two runners finish a race," athletics writer Elshadai Negash told Reuters by telephone from Addis Ababa.
"By beating Dibaba in Berlin, Defar only did what a competitor should do, which enhanced her chances of claiming the world athlete of the year award this year."
Both runners are managed by American Mark Weltmore.
When they arrived in Berlin, Dibaba was one of the six contenders setting out for a perfect set of six victories in the $1 million Golden League Jackpot.
She had beaten Defar in Paris and Rome, but failed spectacularly to stop her in the African championships in Mauritius in August, which the world champion attributed to ill health.
One week after Mauritius, it was Dibaba's turn for revenge in the Brussels golden league meeting, where Meseret had planned to break her own world record.
"Meseret was going for the world record in Brussels. I had to destabilise her racing plans by varying the pace before kicking in the last lap," the 20-year-old said on the IAAF Web site.
Dibaba and Meseret have been entered in different races at the World Cup in Athens this weekend. Dibaba will run in the 3,000 and Meseret in the 5,000.
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