Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba smashed the women’s indoor mile world record by nearly four seconds at a meet in Stockholm on Wednesday.
Dibaba, the reigning World champion and world-record holder in the outdoor 1500m, clocked 4:13.31 on Wednesday. That shattered the 26-year-old record of 4:17.14 held by Romanian Doina Melinte.
Dibaba broke an indoor world record at the Stockholm meet for a third straight year. In 2014, she broke the 3000m world record. In 2015, she broke the 5000m world record. She also owns the 1500m indoor world record.
In Rio, Dibaba, 25, could try to become the first woman to sweep the 1500m and 5000m at one Olympics. One woman has earned medals in both events at one Games, Romanian Gabriela Szabo at Sydney 2000. The women’s 5000m debuted at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
However, the Olympic women’s 5000m heats are on the same day as the 1500m final, though the 5000m heats are in the morning and the 1500m final in the evening.
At the 2015 World Outdoor Championships, Dibaba won the 1500m on Aug. 25, ran the 5000m first round Aug. 27 and earned bronze in the 5000m final on Aug. 30.
Earlier Wednesday, Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman broke the indoor 1000m world record.
Souleiman, the 2013 World 800m bronze medalist, clocked 2:14.20, breaking the mark of 2:14.96 set by three-time Danish World 800m champion Wilson Kipketer in 2000.
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NEW WORLD RECORD
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 17, 2016
Genzebe Dibaba runs 4:13.31 in the indoor mile. Historic. pic.twitter.com/sryytUY2qO