5. 5000m/Almaz Ayana
If there is one event I can bet all my belongings on the World Record (WR) being broken this year, it is the women’s 5000m. Yes, I am that confident, and can place all my earnings on Almaz Ayana doing just that.
It’s not that hard to decipher that the 2016 Female Athlete of the Year desperately wants this and would give everything to get that record. Since 2015, she has been chasing it and has come close on numerous occasions; this could be the year the door finally opens.
Ayana who previously competed in the 3000m Steeplechase, gave a glimpse of what to expect from her when at the 2015 Diamond League in Shanghai, she raced to a then third fastest time in history to win the 5000m, clocking 14:14.32. It was a performance that really caught the eye as many believed she would eventually break Tirunesh Dibaba’s WR of 14:11.15.
She did go for it, although at the Paris Diamond League Genzebe Dibaba riled her up after faltering on their agreement to share pace-making duties, with the latter going for personal glory and winning in 14:15.41; maybe she wanted the record to still remain in the family. Talk about conspiracy theories!
But from then on, Ayana knew she would have to go solo in her quest for the WR. Ayana went on to win the World title later on in Beijing with a Championship Record (CR) of 14:26.83. She started 2016 almost the same way she ended 2015, focused on the 5000m WR.
To tell you how close she came to that WR in 2016, she missed out by less than 2s at the Rome DL, crossing the line in 14:12.59. It is the second fastest time in history, and who knows if the pace-making had been better, she probably would have surpassed that mark.
Having come to the Olympics where she shaved off as much as 14s from Junxia Wang’s previous record of 29:31.78 in the 10000m to set a new WR of 29:17.45, all looked set for the 5000m WR to go.
She desperately wanted it, which was evident in the way she ran without enforcing a good tactical plan, which cost her dearly as exhaustion set it, putting paid her dream of winning the Olympic GOLD in Rio.
Of course Ayana won’t make that mistake in 2017, and will no doubt solely focus on the 5000m this year. She has the 10000m WR, something she achieved in only her second ever competitive race over that distance.
Although she could aim to run the double this year in London, there is no doubt that the holy grail is the 5000m. It is one WR which could go the way of another Ethiopian, Almaz Ayana in 2017.
Do you know that Almaz Ayana holds 4 of the Top 10 fastest times in the 5000m?
