By News desk
Ethiopia’s chances at this year’s world athletes championship has suffered setbacks after 1,500 metres world record holder and 2015 world champion, Genzebe Dibaba, withdrew from the tournament.
Dibaba withdrew from the championship which starts next week in Doha, Qatar on Thursday after sustaining a foot injury.
The Ethiopian, who set a new 1500m world record in 2015 of 3:50.07 before clinching the world title in Beijing, was diagnosed with a partial rupture in her right foot after the Zurich Diamond League meeting in August.
She who won silver at the 2016 Rio Games, is the younger sister of triple Olympic gold medallist Tirunesh.
The 28-year-old withdrawal leaves Kenya’s defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon and Ethiopian-born Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who broke the world mile record (4:12.33) in July, as favourites for the title.
In another blow to the blue riband race at the global competition, Kenya’s 1,500m defending champion Elijah Manangoi announced earlier this week that he would not be defending his title due to injury.
