Korahubsh Itaa of Ethiopia on her way to winning the Girls' 2000m Steeplechase final (© Getty Images)
Steeplechase competition takes a lot of courage and strength which new World Youth champion Korahubsh Itaa obviously does not lack after running a World Youth Best 6:11.83 to win the 2000m race on Friday.
She however met her match minutes after receiving her gold medal when she struggled to communicate in English but tried her best nonetheless, even with a smile almost as big as she is tiny.
In the company of her team-mate Halima Hassen who was third and her coach Nigussie Gilhamo who acted as an interpreter, Itaa spoke about what the win meant for her, “I am very happy to win” she said in English.
The 17 year-old who hails from one of the many towns near the Ethiopian capital Addis Abba and who was third in the 3000m race at the World Junior Championships in Poland last year, chopped all of 12 seconds off her personal best 6:23.13 which she ran earlier this year in Addis Abba.
While saying this is a great win for her at this level, Itaa has her sights set much higher as she aims to become one of the top runners in the world in the not too distant future.
Despite being the younger sister of 1500m specialist Emebt Etea who was a finalist in the 2006 World Junior Championships, her track and field idols are Ethiopian greats Tirunesh Dibaba and Haile Gabrselassie and she hopes one day to be as famous world wide as they are.
Paul Reid for the IAAF
