Ayana targets double gold as Ethiopia announce team for Rio
Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana will seek to become just the second woman in history to win Olympic gold in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games next month.
The 24-year-old was announced for both events by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation and appears to hold a strong chance of emulating the feat first accomplished by countrywoman Tirunesh Dibaba in 2008. Ayana tops the world lists at both distances this year, having run 14:12.59 for 5000m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rome and 30:07.00 for 10,000m in Hengelo last month.
Tirunesh Dibaba will compete over 5000m and is currently listed as a reserve for the 10,000m, the event at which she is the reigning champion from the 2012 Games in London. The 30-year-old will be seeking her fourth Olympic gold medal in Rio, though has competed sparingly so far this year. In her only outing over 5000m, Dibaba clocked 14:41.73 at a small meeting in Kortrijk, Belgium last weekend, which proved enough to convince selectors she was deserving of a spot in Rio.
Genzebe Dibaba will narrow her focus and compete over 1500m, the event at which she holds the world record at 3:50.07. The reigning world champion clocked 3:59.83 in her sole outing at that distance in Barcelona last weekend.
Read more at: IAAF.org
