Ethiopian 10,000m Olympic champion from Rio 2016 whose world record-smashing victory by over 14 seconds remains one of the most dominant performances in Olympic distance running history.
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.
10,000m world record and Olympic champion
How They Played
Aggressive front-running style with devastating finishing kick
Lasting Impact
Revolutionized women's distance running with her dominant 2016 season