Ayana stuns Rio with 10000m win
RIO DE JANEIRO: Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana smashed the world record to win the Olympic 10 000m title yesterday, blowing away the competition in one of the greatest performances in a long-distance race at the Games.
In only her second competitive 10 000m, Ayana dominated from the start. Halfway through the race she surged away from the leading pack, injecting staggering pace to finish in 29 minutes and 17.45 seconds.
Her time was 14 seconds better than the 29:31.78 set by China’s Wang Junxia in 1993.
“This means everything to me,” she said. “Getting to this point is a dream come true. I never thought it would happen and I’m so in awe.”
It was the first time in seven years that a female athlete had run 10 000m in under 30 minutes and the first four finishers all achieved the feat. The first 13 women across the line clocked personal bests, including five national records.
Kenya’s world 10 000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot tried in vain to keep up with Ayana but had to settle for silver. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, the defending Olympic champion, took bronze.
Ayana’s time was even more astonishing because it was set at the Olympics, where races tend to be cagey, tactical affairs and long-distance records are rarely broken.
“When I saw the world record set in 1993, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And Ayana has absolutely blitzed that time,” Paula Radcliffe, the former British runner who still holds the women’s marathon world record, told the BBC.
“I’m not sure that I can understand that.”
Ayana’s opponents were also stunned and Swedish runner Sarah Lahti, who finished 12th, questioned the Ethiopian’s performance.
But Ayana, who comes from a religious family, fiercely rejected suggestions of doping.
“My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus. I’m crystal clear,” she said through an interpreter. – Reuters