Kenyan’s Cheruiyot bagged silver as Ethiopian Almaz Ayana won the race in a new world record of 29:17.25 in the women race. “Tirunesh Dibaba, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, claimed the bronze medal”.
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Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana celebrates winning the women’s 10,000-meter final during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. “And I’m really proud of what I did on the track today”.
Her winning time was almost 14 seconds quicker than the previous world best over the distance of 29:31.78 set by Wang Junxia in Beijing in 1993.
“It was not my plan”, Ayana said.
It was quite an impressive race, even though the stands were maybe a quarter full when it happened.
On Friday morning, the team’s arena was taken over by a 24-year-old runner called Almaz Ayana and the Ethiopian took a leaf out of Botafogo’s book by becoming the first lone star of track and field at the 2016 Games. As soon as she sprinted to a finish allegations of doping exploded on social media while reports emerged of Ayana coughing vigorously in the call room.
The entire race was startlingly quick, featuring 18 personal bests and several national records. Eight national records were set, including one by American Molly Huddle, who finished sixth.
Just under six minutes later, Ayana would be in the record books with a world record of 29:17.46, 15 seconds faster than silver medalist Cheruiyot and 42 seconds faster than Junxia’s long-standing mark.
Ran with confidence Running in the sixth of seven heats, with only the top-three sure of progressing, English ran with confidence, sitting at the very back of the eight-man field for the first lap, before moving up with immaculate timing to move into third down the homestretch, running 1:46.40, just down on race victor Brandon McBride from Canada, who took the win in 1:45.99, with Marcin Lewandowski from Poland second in 1:46.35. “I’m crystal clear”, she said through an interpreter.
When asked about the doping cynicism at her post-race press conference at the Estádio Olímpico on Friday, Ayana replied sharply: “My doping is my training and my doping is Jesus”.
The day’s other final in the evening is the women’s shot put.
“It’s tough, but it’s sport”.
The country’s athletics manager Michael Rotich has already been sent home but he was suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF)’s ethics commission on Friday following allegations of corrupt practices surrounding anti-doping. She also is competing in the 5,000-meter race next week.
Natasha Wodak, 34, of Surrey, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing in 22nd place. “It is too easy for her”. It felt so special to be on that start line. She gassed Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot and teammate Tirunesh Dibaba for the victory.
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“I’m not sure that I can understand that”, said Paula Radcliffe.
