Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana obliterated the 10,000-metres world record when she ran 29min 17.45sec to win gold in the opening track event of the Olympics on Friday, while Jo Pavey finished 15th – one place ahead of her British team-mate Jessica Andrews.
Ayana’s time was 14 seconds inside the 29min 31.78sec set by China’s Wang Junxia in 1993.
Kenya’s world 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot tried in vain to keep up with Ayana but had to settle for silver while the Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, the defending Olympic champion, grabbed bronze.
All three women ran inside the old Olympic 10,000m record.
“I found it tough out there,” Pavey said. “I’m so honoured to have competed at my fifth Olympics, but in reality I am getting old. It was fairly humid. I would like to have been more competitive, but I gave my best and that is all I could do.”
[Source: The Guardian]
