Gold medallist Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana on the podium after the medal ceremony for Women’s 10,000m athletics event at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Ayana (Ethiopia) ran away from her rivals to smash the women’s 10,000-metre world record for Olympic gold. The 5,000m world champion Ayana pulled away shortly after the halfway mark in perfect conditions but in front of a sparse crowd to triumph in 29 minutes 17.45 seconds. She took 14 seconds off the mark of 29:31.78 that China’s Wang Junxia had run 23 years ago in Beijing 1993, a record which was rated untouchable. “This means everything for me,” Ayana said. “Getting to this point is a dream come true. I never thought that this would happen and I’m so in awe. I’m very happy to get here.”