BEIJING -- After a ninth-place finish in the women's 5,000-meter run at the Olympics on Friday night, Kara Goucher promised she will be back and she will be better.

"I will be more prepared," the 30-year-old University of Colorado graduate said. "Each race here I became a different athlete, a better athlete. I know I didn't place very high tonight, but it was my best performance so far."

Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia took the gold medal, but her winning time of 15:41.40 was a minute and half below the world record she holds. The win gave Dibaba a difficult double, as she also won the 5,000.

Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey took silver in 15:42.74, and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia took bronze with 15:44.12.

Goucher's 15:49.39 was 54 seconds slower than her personal best and 51 seconds down from her season best.

"I had a sinus infection Tuesday night, so I couldn't believe my good luck. I couldn't believe they were running so slow because my strength is my kick," Goucher said. "But I am at least a year away from kicking with them. I have a little more work to do.

"But even though the pace was slow, but I could see them finishing. I was like, 'Oh, my God!' I tried to flip the switch, but it just wasn't there. In the end, they were just too good today."

Finishing right behindGoucher in 10th place was Boulder native Shalane Flanagan with a time of 15:50.80.

Unlike Goucher, Flanagan said she wasn't surprised by the slow pace.

"Ethiopians and Kenyans like to play around with the pace. I just had to deal with it," she said.

Flanagan will still go home with a medal. She won bronze in the 10,000 meters last week.

"I am bummed out right now," she said, "but I am going to get over it real quick because my life was a couple of nights ago and I need to cherish the moment."

Both women had praise for Dibaba.

"She knows her body really well, and she knows how to read people. She's a sprinter. She is beautiful to watch," Flanagan said.

"She was obviously born to run, and she if a fierce competitor. She has it in her soul," Goucher added.

But Goucher sees herself maybe beating the Ethiopian some day.

"I know everybody thinks I am crazy, but I think I could have won that on the right night. I will have to wait now," she said. "I feel like I have some improvement left. They have been running for years. I have been running for 2 1/2 years."