Tirunesh Dibaba, a three-time Olympic champion, is set to make a comeback on Sunday, January 15, at the 2023 Houston Half Marathon in Texas, United States.
The Ethiopian runner last participated in a competitive race in 2018 before taking a break after welcoming her second child.
Dibaba, seen by many as the greatest female athlete of all time, will line up alongside a strong field that includes her sister Anna Dibaba and race favorite Emily Sossion.
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Speaking ahead of the race, Dibaba, who overcame the pandemic in 2020, stated that she wants to gauge herself in Houston.
“Houston is a famous race, and my training has been going well. It seemed like the best way to test myself and see what could be next,” she was quoted by Watch Athletics.
Dibaba, who is nicknamed baby-faced destroyer, set a 5,000m world record in January 2005. It took more than 15 years for the record to come down.
Her fellow countrywoman Letesenbet Gidey lowered the mark from 14:11.15 to 14:06.65.
Sossion, a Kenyan runner, enters the race with a personal best time of 1:07.11, 21 seconds slower than Dibaba’s.
Other star names in the race include former 1,500m world champion Jenny Simpson and South Africa's Dom Scott. Hiwot Gebrekidan, a 2021 Berlin Marathon runner-up will also be in contention.
In the men’s category, Kenya’s Edward Cheserek is set to square it out with one-time London marathon winner Shura Kitata.
Cheserek boasts of a personal best time of 1:00.13 which he set in Valencia on Sunday, December 4, 2022.
Other road race runners to watch out for in Houston are Kenyan-born United States international Shadrack Kipchirchir, Gebresilase Aleme, and Wesley Kiptoo.