Tirunesh Dibaba runs a world record in Boston. © www.photorun.net

Tirunesh Dibaba highlighted the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday with a world record over 5,000m. The Ethiopian, only 21, improved her own mark with 14:27.42. Two years ago at the same meet, she ran 14:32.93. With this indoor world record she delivered further proof that she is certainly capable of breaking the outdoor world record, given she was a mere three seconds outside it in Boston.

Her compatriot Meseret Defar has the outdoor best with 14:24.53 from last year. In Boston, Defar missed her goal of breaking the world indoor record for 3,000m (8:27.86). She won in 8:30.31 ahead of Shalane Flanagan, who set a U.S. record of 8:33.25, and the New Zealander Kim Smith, who also set a national record with 8:38.14.

Dibaba left the pacemakers behind in the second half of the race and lapped the entire field. She reached the 3,000m mark in 8:44.30—a split that put her right on course to match her old world record. Yet at the end, with a kick over the last 200m in 29.72, she had bettered the mark by over five seconds. “I reckoned I could break the world record, but I certainly didn’t expect that kind of improvement,” Dibaba said.

Two Australian records also fell at the meet: Craig Mottram won the 3,000m in 7:39.24. “That was one of the best races of my career,” he said later. His compatriot Sarah Jamieson won the women’s mile in 4:28.03. Alan Webb won the men’s mile in 3:55.18, and set his second indoor personal best in as many weeks. He’ll face Mottram and Kenyan-turned-American Bernard Lagat in the mile at the Millrose Games in New York City on Friday.