Ethiopian · Bekoji, Ethiopia · Born 21 November 1991Shattered the 10000m WR winning Rio Olympic gold.
Almaz Ayana Eba was born on 21 November 1991 in Wenbera, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, and developed into one of the finest distance runners in the world, winning bronze in the 5000m at the 2013 World Championships before claiming gold in the event in 2015. Ayana delivered a stunning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shattering Wang Junxia's 23-year-old 10,000m world record by more than 14 seconds to win gold in 29:17.45, a run that drew some scepticism from rivals given its scale, though Ayana attributed her performance to her faith and training. She added bronze in the 5000m at the same Games. Ayana won a second world title in the 10,000m at the 2017 World Championships in London, finishing 46 seconds clear of the runner-up, and added silver in the 5000m at the same championships. Ayana transitioned to marathon running in 2022, making her debut in Amsterdam, and has continued competing at the elite level of distance running, her 2016 world record standing as one of the most dominant performances in Olympic athletics history.
10000m
How They Played
Aggressive front-running style with devastating finishing kick
Lasting Impact
Revolutionized women's distance running with her dominant 2016 season
Career Honours
- 2016 Olympic 10000m gold
- 2015 World champ 5000m
- 2017 World champ 10000m
Ethiopian Athletes