Dibaba smashes own record in 5,000

When Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia was just 19 years old, she made the indoor track world take notice as she set a world record in the 5,000 meters at the 2005 Reebok Boston Indoor Games.

She entered that meet worried about the race because she had altered her training to try to qualify for the World Cross-Country Championships in France that March.

Instead of being disappointed, though, she was elated when she set the record of 14 minutes 32.93 seconds. After winning the same race last year in a relatively slow 14:35.46, Dibaba entered last night's meet at the Reggie Lewis Center determined to make a run at her record, saying she had put all her efforts into indoor training.

Not only did she better the mark, she obliterated it, running a 14:27.42 to add to her ever-growing elite résumé.

No one in the six-competitor field was even close. Second was her older sister, Ejegayehu, who finished in 15:09.48.

"With God's help, I did it," said Dibaba, through translator Elias Kebede. "I'm very happy about what I've accomplished today. To prepare for this race, I didn't do any cross-country this year, so I had the confidence to break it. I didn't think I would break it by this much."

Dibaba, 21, has had a remarkable last few years.

After being crowned world champion in the 5,000 in 2003, she went on to win a bronze medal in the event at the 2004 Olympics.

She followed that with the world record here, a world championship in the 5,000 and 10,000, a world cross-country title in the 4K and 8K in 2005, and the 2006 world cross-country title in the 8K.

She said she has plenty of strong races ahead of her.

"I always want to better my performance," she said. "So that was my aim, that was my motivation."

In the men's 800-meter run, Nick Symmonds edged Sam Burley by .51 seconds, with a time of 1:48.15.

"I knew the pace-setter was going out in 52," said Symmonds. "I knew I could handle that. I wanted to hang off it a little. My original plan was to go coming off the second-to-last turn, but I had to wait. Burley was tough. Fortunately, I got him in the last 50.

"My big thing was being on the leader's shoulder. I didn't have to push around too much. And I could watch the race unfold on the Jumbotron."

Symmonds is a graduate of Division 3 Willamette University in Salem, Ore., where he was an Academic All-American. During his time at the school, he was a seven-time national champion in the 800 and 1,500 meters and won his final two collegiate races in both of those events in the NCAA Division 3 Track and Field Championships.

In the women's 3,000 meters, Meseret Defar of Ethiopia won in 8:30.31 but second-place finisher Shalane Flanagan, a Marblehead native, set the American record of 8:33.25. That broke the mark of 8:39.14 set by Regina Jacobs in 1999.

It was the first race for Flanagan, who had foot surgery last April, since August 2005 at the World Championships in Helsinki.

Miler Alan Webb has had a thrilling eight days. Last Saturday, he ran an indoor personal best of 3:56.70 in New York. That was six years to the day he set the national high school record in the indoor mile (3:59.86).

Last night, he reached a personal best in the event again, running a 3:55.18 to beat 10 other runners. The Fairfax, Va., resident turned 24 Jan. 13.

In the women's mile, Australian Sarah Jamieson, a two-time Olympian in the 1,500 meters, was victorious in 4:28.03, edging American Shayne Culpepper (4:31.35).

In the men's pole vault, Steve Hooker of Australia didn't have his own equipment because it didn't make the flight, so he borrowed American Jeff Hartwig's. Turned out Hartwig's poles worked just fine as Hooker won with a vault of 19 feet 3/4 inches. Hartwig wound up third (18-1).

Jenn Stuczynski of the United States won the women's pole vault with a leap of 15-2 1/4.

The men's shot put was won by American Dan Taylor, with a throw of 70-9 1/4.

In the men's 60-meter dash, American Shawn Crawford came out on top in 6.55 seconds and Marshevet Hooker won the women's event in 7.24. The 60-meter hurdles were captured by David Payne of the United States (7.58) and, in the women's race, Perdita Felicien of Canada (7.97).

American Monica Hargrove won the women's 400 meters in 52.85.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at Marrapese@globe.com.