This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by her given name, Almaz, and not as Ayana.

Almaz Ayana Eba (Oromo: Almaaz Ayyanaa Eebbaa; Amharic: አልማዝ አያና ኤባ, born 21 November 1991[4]) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Almaz is a four-time World Athletics Championships medallist earning a bronze for the 5,000m in 2013, gold at the event in 2015 as well as gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m in 2017.

She broke the 10,000 metres world record, set in 1993, while winning the gold medal at the Rio Olympics and held it until 2021. At the 2017 World Championships in London, Almaz won the title in the 10,000m, finishing 46 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She finished third in both the 5,000m and 10,000m on the respective world all-time lists. In 2016, she was voted IAAF Female World Athlete of the Year.

Almaz set the fastest ever women's marathon debut at the 2022 Amsterdam Marathon.

Early life and background

Almaz Ayana was born in Wenbera, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia.[5] Born the seventh youngest of nine siblings, she started running at local school around age 13–14.[6] Like other notable athletes such as Fatuma Roba and Derartu Tulu, Almaz is also Oromo descent.[7] In addition to her native Oromo language,[8] she also speaks Amharic.[9] The name Almaz means 'diamond' in Amharic.

Almaz is married to her childhood friend and longtime partner, Soressa Fida.[5] She is a devout Christian.[5]

Career

2013–2014: World 5000 m bronze in Moscow

At age 21, Almaz won a bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics held in Moscow, Russia.

At the 2014 African Championships in Marrakech, she defeated favourite Genzebe Dibaba to take the title in a championship record time of 15:32.72.[10] One month later at the Continental Cup also held in Marrakech, she won the 5000 m by over 24 seconds.[11]

2015: World 5000 m champion in Beijing

At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, Almaz won her first world title with a 5000 m victory.

In May 2015, Almaz ran a personal best of 14:14.32 over 5000 m at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, China, improving significantly upon her previous personal best of 14:25.84 set in 2013 in Paris.[12][4] This made her the third fastest female athlete over that distance, behind compatriots Tirunesh Dibaba, the world record holder, and Meseret Defar. At the Beijing World Championships in August, she put on a stunning display of front-running to win the 5000 m final with a time of 14:26.83, setting a new championship record in the process and beating silver medalist Senbere Teferi by more than 17 seconds with Genzebe Dibaba in third.[13] Her win was named the Performance of the Championships by World Athletics.[14] In her final race of the season, Almaz set a new 3000 m meeting record of 8:22.34 to beat Tirunesh Dibaba at the Zurich Diamond League.[15]

2016: Rio Olympic 10,000 m champion with a world record, bronze at 5000 m

Almaz opened her season by winning over 3000 m at the Doha Diamond League on the 6 May, running a time of 8:23.11 which narrowly missed her personal best.[16] On 2 June 2016, Almaz set a new personal best in the 5000 m in a time of 14:12.59 at the Rome Diamond League. This made her the second fastest woman ever at this distance, behind only Tirunesh Dibaba's world record of 14:11.15, and established a new circuit record. Later that month, she ran the 10,000 metres competitively for the first time at the Ethiopian Olympic trials in Hengelo, Netherlands.[17] She posted the fastest ever debut time of 30:07.00, defeating Tirunesh Dibaba and moving up to eighth on the world all-time list.[18]

Almaz (in second) on her way to 10,000 m gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics held in August in Rio de Janeiro, Almaz set a world record of 29:17.45 in the 10,000 metres, topping Chinese athlete Wang Junxia's 23-year-old world record by 14 seconds.[19][20] No one previously had run within 22 seconds of Wang's record.[21] The 10,000 metres was already an extremely fast race when Ayana broke away with 12 laps to go. Second-placed Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya finished just a second shy of Wang's record and double Olympic 10,000 metres champion Tirunesh Dibaba earned the bronze medal with a 12 seconds improvement on her personal best and the fourth fastest time in history. Multiple national records were set, and eighteen competitors set personal bests.[22] The lax drug testing regime in Ethiopia[23] and the doping scandals that embroiled athletics before the Rio Olympics caused some to question whether Almaz had been doping.[24] British commentators Brendan Foster and Paula Radcliffe, both former world record holders in distance events, were skeptical about Almaz's performance.[20] Fellow competitors reported that before the race, the Ethiopian was coughing and did not seem well.[25] In her post-race press conference, Almaz said her time was purely the outcome of hard training.[26] On 9 September, in her first race since the Olympics, Almaz attempted to break Tirunesh Dibaba's 2008 5000 m world record of 14:11.15 at the Brussels Diamond League.[27] Despite a strong start, she fell short of breaking the record but did set a meeting record of 14:18.99.[28]

2017: 10,000 m gold and 5000 m silver at the London World Championships

Almaz celebrates her 10,000 m win at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London.

On 5 August 2017, Almaz secured a dominant victory as she won over 10,000 metres at the World Championships in London with a world-leading 30:16.32,[29][30] She ran her final 5,000 m in 14:24.94, a time that would've placed her seventh on the all-time 5,000 m lists at the time.[31] Her win set the record for the biggest margin of victory over 10,000 m at a World Championship and was described as "one of the finest displays in women’s distance running history" by Letsrun.[31] She went on to add a silver for the 5,000 metres eight days later, having ran a time of 14:40.35 to finish behind Kenya's Hellen Obiri (14:34.86).[32] Almaz made her debut over the half marathon at the New Delhi Half Marathon winning in a time of 1:07:12.[33]

2018–present: Injuries, motherhood and comeback

The Ethiopian distance running star took almost three years off due to injury problems and pregnancy. Her only race during this time was at the 2019 Prefontaine Classic where she placed 18th over 3,000 m in a time of 8:57.16.[34] Almaz started regularly competing again from April 2022.[4]

Almaz made her return to the track at the 2022 FBK Games in Hengelo, placing seventh over the 10,000 m in 30:48.48. She also placed sixth over 5,000 m at the Oslo Diamond League in 14:32.17.[35]

On 16 October 2022, the 30-year-old made the fastest ever women's marathon debut of 2:17:20 at the Amsterdam Marathon to win the race and defeat her old-time rival Genzebe Dibaba by 45 seconds. Almaz beat the course record by almost 40 seconds, setting a Dutch all-comers' record (best performance on country's soil) and putting her seventh on the world all-time list at the time.[36][37]

In 2023, Almaz opened her season by winning the Lisbon Half Marathon in a course record of 1:05:30.[38] On 17 September, Almaz competed over the 10 mile distance for the first time by placing third at the Dam tot Damloop in Zaandam in 52:23.[39] She set a new personal best for the marathon of 2:16:20 in finishing second behind Worknesh Degefa at the Valencia Marathon.[40]

Recognition

Achievements

Almaz (second from the right) races in her 5000 m heat at the 2017 London World Championships, where she won silver in the final and gold for the 10,000 m.

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

International competitions

Representing  Ethiopia
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2010 World Junior Championships Moncton, Canada 5th 3000 m st. 9:48.08
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 3rd 5000 m 14:51.33
2014 African Championships Marrakech, Morocco 1st 5000 m 15:32.72 CR
Continental Cup Marrakech, Morocco 1st 5000 m 15:33.32
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 1st 5000 m 14:26.83 CR
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3rd 5000 m 14:33.59
1st 10,000 m 29:17.45 OR WR
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 2nd 5000 m 14:40.35
1st 10,000 m 30:16.32

Personal bests

Surface Event Time (h):m:s Place Date Notes
Track 3000 metres 8:22.22 Rabat, Morocco 14 June 2015
5000 metres 14:12.59 Rome, Italy 2 June 2016 3rd of all time
10,000 metres 29:17.45 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 12 August 2016 3rd of all time, previous WR
Road 10 kilometres 32:19 Luanda, Angola 31 December 2010
Half marathon 1:05:30 Lisbon, Portugal 12 March 2023
Marathon 2:17:20 Amsterdam, Netherlands 16 October 2022

Circuit wins and titles, National titles

References

  1. ^ Haileegziabher Adhanom. 'This is just the beginning' Ethiopia's distance queen Almaz Ayana insists. August 7, 2017. Association Internationale De La Presse Sportive.
  2. ^ "Rome: Ayana, the feather of 5000 meters". IAAF Diamond League. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Almaz Ayana". Rio2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Almaz AYANA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b c 'This is just the beginning' Ethiopia's distance queen Almaz Ayana insists, 8 August 2017
  6. ^ Ayana remains optimistic in countdown to Doha, 23 July 2019
  7. ^ Uncommon courage at Rio Olympics: Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa risks it all for his people, 22 August 2016
  8. ^ Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana smashes 10km world record in 'insane' opening to athletics in Rio, 13 August 2016
  9. ^ "Women's 10,000: Almaz Ayana Wins in a World Record". 12 August 2016.
  10. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (11 August 2014).More gold medals and records for Okagbare and Bourrada at African championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 15 August 2014.
  11. ^ Ramsak Bob (14 September 2014).Report: Women's 5000m – IAAF Continental Cup, Marrakech 2014. IAAF. Retrieved on 9 June 2015.
  12. ^ "IAAF - Shanghai 2015 Results 5000m W". World Athletics. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Ayana shatters Dibaba's double dreams". The Japan Times. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Ayana wins Performance of the Championships, powered by adidas". World Athletics. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  15. ^ Minshull, Paul (3 September 2015). "Zurich: Ayana wins the battle of the World Champions". Diamond league. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  16. ^ "A Day of Distance Dominance: Asbel Kiprop, Conseslus Kipruto, Almaz Ayana & Caster Semenya Earn Big Wins on Track & Field's Opening Day". Letsrun.com. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  17. ^ Morse, Parker (12 August 2016). "Report: Women's 10,000m – Rio 2016 Olympic Games". iaaf.org. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  18. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (29 June 2016). "Ayana wins in Hengelo with fastest 10,000m debut in history". iaaf.org. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia wins first track gold medal at Rio 2016 and shatters 10,000m world record". rio2016.com. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  20. ^ a b Ingle, Sean (12 August 2016). "Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana smashes 10,000m world record on way to gold". theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  21. ^ Schofield, Daniel (12 August 2016). "Almaz Ayana insists 'my doping is my training, my doping is Jesus' after smashing world record at Rio 2016". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  22. ^ Germano, Sara (12 August 2016). "Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana Obliterates 10,000 Meters Record". wsj.com. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Ethiopia told to do mass doping tests or face IAAF ban". ESPN.com. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  24. ^ McCann, Allison (12 August 2016). "Did Almaz Ayana Break The World Record By Too Much?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  25. ^ Henderson, Jason (12 August 2016). "Ethiopian tells cynics her Olympic 10,000m win is down to hard training and religious faith". athleticsweekly.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  26. ^ Gatward, Matt (12 August 2016). "Rio Olympics: Jo Pavey calls Almaz Ayana's surprise record smash 'the craziest race I've ever been in'". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  27. ^ "Ayana and Kipruto target world records in Brussels – IAAF Diamond League". World Athletics. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  28. ^ Minshull, Phil (9 September 2016). "Brussels: Ayana And Kipruto Fall Short With World Record Attempts". www.diamondleague.com. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  29. ^ "World Athletics Championships 2017: Ayana wins women's 10,000m gold". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  30. ^ Mills, Steven (5 August 2017). "Report: women's 10,000m final – IAAF World Championships London 2017". World Athletics. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  31. ^ a b "Almaz Ayana Laps Nearly The Entire Field To Win Gold In The Women's 10,000 In One of The Finest Displays in Women's Distance Running History". Letsrun.com. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  32. ^ "World Athletics Championship 2017: Hellen Obiri wins 5,000 metres with astonishing last lap". Eurosport. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  33. ^ Singh, Navneet (19 November 2017). "Delhi Half Marathon: Winner Almaz Ayana lost in translation & missing fans". www.hindustantimes.com. New Delhi. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Women's Prefontaine Recap: Hassan Wins Greatest Clean* Women's 3000 Ever, Faith Kipyegon Returns in Style, Caster Semenya Wins Again, Houlihan, Coburn Impress". Letsrun.com. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  35. ^ "2022 Oslo Diamond League - Results - 5000m Women" (PDF). oslo.diamondleague.com. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  36. ^ "Ayana runs fastest ever women's marathon debut with 2:17:20 in Amsterdam". World Athletics. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  37. ^ Henderson, Jason (16 October 2022). "Record-breaking marathon for Almaz Ayana in Amsterdam". AW. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  38. ^ Donn, Natasha (13 March 2022). "Ethiopian runners win Lisbon half-marathon". Portugal Resident. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  39. ^ "2023 Dam tot Damloop - Results". World Athletics. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  40. ^ "Valencia Marathon 2023: All results and times - complete list". olympics.com. IOC. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  41. ^ "USAIN BOLT AND ALMAZ AYANA WIN IAAF AWARDS". Eurosport. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
Records
Preceded by Women's 10,000 m World Record Holder
12 August 2016 – 6 June 2021 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by IAAF World Athlete of the Year
2016 		Succeeded by
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almaz_Ayana
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