Ethiopian · Bekoji, Ethiopia · Born 21 August 1991Ethiopian long-distance runner who set the world record in the women's 10,000m at the 2016 Olympics with a time of 29:17.45, winning Olympic gold.
Almaz Ayana is an Ethiopian distance runner who produced one of the most extraordinary performances in athletics history at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning the 10,000m by over 46 seconds and breaking the world record by 14 seconds. Her domination of the event was so complete as to seem unbelievable, and her performance remains one of the most jaw-dropping in athletics. She also won silver in the 5,000m at Rio.
Famous For
10,000m world record and Olympic champion
Playing Style
How They Played
Aggressive front-running style with devastating finishing kick
Legacy
Lasting Impact
Revolutionized women's distance running with her dominant 2016 season
Honours & Achievements
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold Medal 10000m Rio 2016
- Olympic Bronze Medal 5000m Rio 2016
- World Championship Gold Medal 10000m Beijing 2015
- World Indoor Championship Gold Medal 3000m Portland 2016
- World Indoor Championship Bronze Medal 3000m Sopot 2014
- World Record 10000m (29:17.45) Rio 2016
- IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2016
- Diamond League 5000m Champion 2016
- African Championship Gold Medal 5000m 2014
- African Championship Gold Medal 10000m 2016
Career Journey
Timeline
2013
📌 International debut at World Championships
2013
🌍 International debut at World Championships in Moscow
2015
🎯 First sub-31 minute 10,000m performance
2015
🎯 First woman to run sub-31 minutes for 10,000m
2016
🏆 Olympic 10,000m gold with world record 29:17.45
2016
🏆 Olympic 5,000m bronze medal
2016
⚡ Set 10,000m world record 29:17.45 winning Olympic gold
2016
🏆 Olympic bronze medal in 5,000m in Rio
2017
🏆 World Championships 10,000m gold
2017
🏆 World Championships 5,000m silver
2017
🏆 World Championships 10,000m gold in London
2017
🏆 World Championships 5,000m silver in London
2019
🎯 Last major championship appearance
2019
🎯 Final major championship appearance at World Championships
Ethiopian Athletes