Ethiopia in the Olympics

We've been enjoying the Olympics in our home this week.  And it's been fun to anticipate track and field games getting started, particularly because Ethiopia tends to do well in distance running.  When we were in Ethiopia, the director at our children's orphanage told us it's because kids run for miles every day from their home town to their school.  I also read an article online that suggests the thin air in Ethiopian villages helps in building stronger lung muscles.

We were excited to hear during this year's Opening Ceremony about Ethiopia's dominance in the 10K race.  A little more about their tradition of winning can be found here.  This year has turned out to be no different.  Ethiopian Olympic athlete Tirunesh Dibaba won the gold medal today in the women's 10K, defending her gold medal win at the last Olympics.  Her official website states that she is "the double Olympic 5000m and 10000m champion; four-time world champion over the 5000m and 10000m; and a world record holder over the indoor and outdoor 5000m.  In 2003, she was the youngest ever individual gold medalist at a world championship and also a three-time world cross country champion."  Pretty impressive!  You can watch her gold medal win in the Beijing Olympics here, and if you have cable you can log in to watch her place first in the London Olympics here.  The story from her win today can also be found here.

Congratulations to Tirunesh, and to the country she represents!