APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopian employees working in various government and private organizations started to leave office earlier than the usual time to watch the 10,000m women’s race at the Beijing Olympics where they are eagerly waiting to see Tirunesh Dibaba and the other two Ethiopian best runners, expected to bring the first gold medal to Africa and their country.

The competition was due to be broadcast live on Ethiopian Television (ETV) and other international channels.

Tirunesh Dibaba, the reigning world 10,000m champion and Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist from the Athens Olympics, together with her older sister Ejigayehu Dibaba and Meseret Tufa will represent Ethiopia in the women’s 10,000m, which is expected to bring the first gold medal.

Girma Dagne, a civil engineer told APA that he was leaving work earlier to watch the competition on television.

“How can one miss this competition? .This is the race where we are expecting the first gold for our country,” Dagne said.

The streets of Addis Ababa also turned quite a few minutes to the start of the women’s 10,000m race. All discussions on Friday in Addis were about athletics.

Many people were eagerly waiting for the athletics to begin at the Beijing Olympics where around 30 Ethiopian athletics are expected to attend in various competitions beginning Friday.

All bars and café’s with television facilities in Addis Ababa were full of people waiting for the start of the competition.

“I was here earlier to get a place to see Tirunesh’s competition. I am hundred per cent sure that she will bring the first gold to Ethiopia and Africa,” Mesfin Biruk told APA in one café where many people were seated to watch the race on the big screen.

Because of the high interest shown by many people in the events, café’s and bars with big television screens were charging various amounts to spectators to watch the races.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Dibaba was beaten by Defar of Ethiopia and a Kenyan Isabella Ochichi in the 5,000m but still won bronze.

Remarkably, the result was considered by some to be a disappointment even though at just age 19, Dibaba still became the youngest medallist ever for Ethiopia at the Olympics.

At the recent Bislett games in Norway on June 6, Dibaba broke the world record in the 5000m with a time of 14 minutes, 11.15 seconds.

The Olympic and world champion, who had never broken an outdoor world mark, improved by more than five seconds the previous record of 14:16:63, set by countrywoman Meseret Defar.

Meseret Defar and Kenenisa Bekele are the other athletes on whom Ethiopia is depending to return with gold medals, while the others are also expected to bring more medals to Ethiopia and Africa.

Dibaba is however likely to leave her final decision about whether to participate in the 5,000m until after competing in Friday’s 10,000m race.