Almaz Ayana

Almaz Ayana, born November 21, 1991, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. She broke the 10,000-meter world record while winning the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shattering a mark that had stood since 1993, and also earned a bronze in the 5,000 meters at the same Games.

Ayana is a four-time World Championships medalist, winning a bronze in the 5,000 meters in 2013, gold in the 5,000 meters in 2015, and both gold in the 10,000 meters and silver in the 5,000 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London, where she finished an extraordinary 46 seconds ahead of the runner-up in the 10,000 meters. She ranks among the top three on the all-time lists for both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and was named IAAF Female World Athlete of the Year in 2016.

Ayana later transitioned to the marathon, setting the fastest ever women's marathon debut at the 2022 Amsterdam Marathon.