Almaz Ayana

2.1. Childhood and Family

Almaz Ayana was born on November 21, 1991, in Wenbera, located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. She is the seventh youngest among her nine siblings. Her family is of Oromo descent, an ethnic group in Ethiopia. She grew up in a small, poor family in a mountainous village. In addition to her native Oromo language, she also speaks Amharic. Her given name, Almaz, translates to 'diamond' in Amharic.

2.2. Early Training and Career Start

Ayana began running at her local school around the age of 13 or 14. Her initial training methods were unconventional, involving running through forests while working on a coffee farm. This background reflects the self-made nature of many Ethiopian distance runners. Her formal career started gaining traction with her participation in major junior competitions. In 2010, she competed in the World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, where she finished 5th in the 3000 metres steeplechase with a time of 9:48.08. By 2011, she transitioned to focusing on the 5000 metres.

3.1. Early Success (2013-2014)

At the age of 21, Almaz Ayana made her mark on the international stage. In 2013, she competed in the 2013 World Championships in Athletics held in Moscow, Russia, where she secured a bronze medal in the 5000 metres with a time of 14:51.33. Earlier that year, at the Diamond League meeting in Paris, France, she ran a personal best of 14:25.84 over 5000m, which placed her as the third fastest woman in history at that distance at the time, finishing second in that race behind Tirunesh Dibaba.

In 2014, Ayana continued her impressive performance. At the 2014 African Championships in Athletics in Marrakech, Morocco, she claimed the gold medal in the 5000 metres, defeating a strong field that included fellow Ethiopian runner Genzebe Dibaba. Her winning time of 15:32.72 set a new championship record. One month later, at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup also held in Marrakech, she further demonstrated her dominance by winning the 5000m by a significant margin of over 24 seconds.

3.2. World Championship Victory (2015)

In May 2015, Almaz Ayana continued to showcase her exceptional form in the 5000 metres. At the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, China, she achieved a new personal best of 14:14.32, significantly improving upon her previous best. This performance positioned her as the third fastest female athlete in history over that distance, trailing only her compatriots Tirunesh Dibaba, the world record holder, and Meseret Defar.

Her pinnacle achievement of the year came at the Beijing World Championships in August. In a stunning display of front-running, Ayana won the 5000 metres final with a time of 14:26.83, establishing a new championship record. She finished more than 17 seconds ahead of silver medalist Senbere Teferi, with Genzebe Dibaba taking third place. Her dominant victory was recognized by World Athletics as the "Performance of the Championships." To conclude her successful season, Ayana set a new meeting record of 8:22.34 in the 3000 metres at the Zurich Diamond League, where she again defeated Tirunesh Dibaba.

3.3. Rio Olympic World Record (2016)

The 2016 season marked a monumental period in Almaz Ayana's career, highlighted by a world record-breaking performance at the Olympic Games. She began her season on May 6 by winning the 3000 metres event at the Doha Diamond League with a time of 8:23.11, narrowly missing her personal best. On June 2, 2016, at the Rome Diamond League, she further improved her personal best in the 5000 metres, clocking 14:12.59. This made her the second fastest woman ever at that distance, only behind Tirunesh Dibaba's world record, and set a new circuit record for the Diamond League. Later that month, Ayana competed in the 10,000 metres for the first time in her career at the Ethiopian Olympic trials in Hengelo, Netherlands. She delivered an astonishing performance, posting the fastest ever debut time of 30:07.00, surpassing Tirunesh Dibaba and climbing to eighth place on the world all-time list for the event.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Ayana made history on August 12 by setting a new world record in the 10,000 metres with an incredible time of 29:17.45. This performance shattered the 23-year-old world record held by Chinese athlete Wang Junxia by a remarkable 14 seconds. Before Ayana's race, no competitor had come within 22 seconds of Wang's previous record. The 10,000 metres race in Rio was exceptionally fast, even before Ayana surged ahead with 12 laps remaining. The second-placed finisher, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, finished just a second short of Wang's original record, while double Olympic 10,000 metres champion Tirunesh Dibaba earned the bronze medal, improving her personal best by 12 seconds and achieving the fourth fastest time in history. The race saw multiple national records broken and eighteen competitors setting personal bests.

Following her extraordinary performance, questions were raised regarding the legitimacy of her record, particularly in light of the lax drug testing regime in Ethiopia and the numerous doping scandals that had affected athletics leading up to the Rio Olympics. Some commentators, including former world record holders Brendan Foster and Paula Radcliffe from Britain, expressed skepticism. Fellow competitors observed that Ayana appeared unwell and was coughing before the race. In response to these allegations, Ayana firmly stated in her post-race press conference that her time was solely the result of rigorous training, famously declaring, "My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus." On September 9, in her first race after the Olympics, Ayana attempted to break Tirunesh Dibaba's 2008 5000m world record at the Brussels Diamond League. Although she started strongly, she fell short of the world record but still set a new meeting record of 14:18.99.

3.4. Post-Olympic Achievements (2017)

In 2017, Almaz Ayana continued her dominant streak on the world stage. On August 5, at the World Championships in London, she secured a commanding victory in the 10,000 metres, clocking a world-leading time of 30:16.32. Her performance was so dominant that she ran her final 5000m segment in 14:24.94, a time that would have placed her seventh on the all-time 5000m lists at that moment. This win set a record for the largest margin of victory in the 10,000m at a World Championship and was described by Letsrun.com as "one of the finest displays in women's distance running history."

Eight days later, Ayana added a silver medal in the 5000 metres, finishing with a time of 14:40.35 behind Kenya's Hellen Obiri (14:34.86). Later that year, in November, Ayana made her debut in the half marathon event at the New Delhi Half Marathon, where she won in a time of 1:07:12.

3.5. Injuries, Motherhood, and Comeback (2018-Present)

Following her successful 2017 season, Almaz Ayana experienced a significant period of absence from competitive running, taking almost three years off due to recurring injury problems and pregnancy. During this time, her only notable race was at the 2019 Prefontaine Classic in June 2019, where she finished 18th in the 3000 metres with a time of 8:57.16.

Ayana began regularly competing again in April 2022, marking her official comeback. Her return to the track included a seventh-place finish in the 10,000 metres at the 2022 FBK Games in Hengelo, with a time of 30:48.48. She also placed sixth in the 5000 metres at the Oslo Diamond League, recording 14:32.17.

On October 16, 2022, the 30-year-old Ayana made a historic marathon debut at the Amsterdam Marathon. She won the race with the fastest ever women's marathon debut time of 2:17:20, defeating her long-time rival Genzebe Dibaba by 45 seconds. This performance not only broke the course record by nearly 40 seconds but also set a Dutch all-comers' record and placed her seventh on the world all-time list at the time.

In 2023, Ayana continued her strong comeback by winning the Lisbon Half Marathon with a course record time of 1:05:30. On September 17, she competed in the 10 mile distance for the first time at the Dam tot Damloop in Zaandam, finishing third in 52:23. She further improved her marathon personal best to 2:16:20 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon in December, where she finished second behind Worknesh Degefa.

6.1. International Competition Results

6.2. Personal Bests and Records

Almaz Ayana has achieved several significant personal bests across various distances, establishing herself among the fastest athletes in history.

Ayana was the Women's 10,000 m World Record Holder from August 12, 2016, until June 6, 2021.
She was the overall Diamond League 5000m winner in 2016. Her Diamond League victories include:

• 2015:** Shanghai Golden Grand Prix (5000m, world leading, Diamond League record), Zürich Weltklasse (3000m, meeting record)
• 2016:** Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix (3000m, world leading), Rabat Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme (5000m, world leading, meeting record), Rome Golden Gala - Pietro Mennea (5000m, world leading, Diamond League record), Brussels Memorial Van Damme (5000m, meeting record)

7.1. Positive Assessment

Ayana is highly regarded for her incredible athletic ability and her significant contributions to long-distance running. Her performances, especially her world record in the 10,000 metres at the Rio Olympics and her dominant victories at the World Championships, redefined what was thought possible in women's distance running. She introduced a new level of aggression and front-running tactics to her races, often breaking away from the field early and maintaining an unmatchable pace, setting new standards for competition. Her clear victories, often by large margins, showcased her superior fitness and strategic racing. Beyond her individual achievements, her success has continued to inspire aspiring athletes, particularly in Ethiopia, demonstrating the power of dedication and hard training to overcome challenging backgrounds.

7.2. Doping Allegations and Response

Following her stunning 10,000 metres world record at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Almaz Ayana faced questions and skepticism regarding her performance. This skepticism was fueled by several factors: the perceived laxity of drug testing regulations in Ethiopia at the time, and the broader context of doping scandals that had previously embroiled the sport of athletics. Many observers, including prominent British athletics commentators like Brendan Foster and Paula Radcliffe, both former world record holders in distance events, openly expressed their doubts about the sudden and significant improvement in her performance. Some fellow competitors also noted that Ayana did not appear well before the race, reportedly coughing.

When directly questioned about doping, Ayana consistently maintained her innocence. In her post-race press conference in Rio, she attributed her record-breaking time solely to rigorous training. She famously stated, "My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus," emphasizing her reliance on hard work and faith rather than illicit substances. Her response aimed to dismiss the allegations and affirm her clean athletic conduct. Despite the persistent questions from some quarters, Ayana's results have stood, and she has continued to compete at a high level following her return from injuries and motherhood.