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Almaz Ayana

sports Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Almaz Ayana is a famous long-distance runner from Ethiopia. Her name means "diamond" in the Amharic language. She was born in Wenbera in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. Almaz is of Oromo descent and speaks both Oromo and Amharic. She grew up as the seventh youngest of nine siblings.

Africa (orthographic projection)
Africa (orthographic projection)

Running began for her at a local school around age 13 or 14. Today, she is known as a great athlete who can run many different distances. She has even competed in marathons and half marathons.

To be a great runner, Almaz uses speed and endurance. She competes in races like the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres. In a 5,000 metre race, she must run for a long time at a very fast pace. For the 10,000 metres, she must run even further.

Almaz Ayana at Beijing 2015
Almaz Ayana at Beijing 2015

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she showed her skill by breaking away from other runners. She ran the 10,000 metres with only 12 laps left to go. This move helped her win the gold medal and set a new world record. Her hard training helped her achieve these amazing results.

Almaz's career has seen many big moments since she started racing. She won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. In 2014, she won the 5,000 metres at the African Championships in Marrakesh.

Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (29109535365)
Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (29109535365)

She also won gold at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. In 2016, she was named the IAAF Female World Athlete of the Year. These titles show how much she has achieved in the world of sports.

Many specific numbers show how fast Almaz can truly run. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, she ran the 10,000 metres in 29:17.45. This time was 14 seconds faster than the old world record.

Almaz Ayana London 2017
Almaz Ayana London 2017

At the 2017 World Championships in London, she won the 10,000 metres by 46 seconds. This was a very large margin of victory. In 2022, she ran the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:17:20. This was the fastest ever time for a woman's marathon debut.

Women's 5000m h1 at London 2017
Women's 5000m h1 at London 2017

Almaz's journey shows that athletes can face many different life changes. She took a break from racing for almost three years. During this time, she dealt with injuries and became a mother. She began competing regularly again in April 2022. She even won the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2023 with a course record of 1:05:30.

Diamond blue
Diamond blue

Even after a long break, she returned to be a champion. Her story is one of coming back to do what she loves.

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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg
Africa (orthographic projection).svg
File:Almaz Ayana at Beijing 2015.jpg
Almaz Ayana at Beijing 2015.jpg
File:Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (29109535365).jpg
Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio...
File:Almaz Ayana London 2017.jpg
Almaz Ayana London 2017.jpg
File:Women's 5000m h1 at London 2017.jpg
Women's 5000m h1 at London 2017.jpg
File:Diamond blue.svg
Diamond blue.svg
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