Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana Ends Brilliant 2016 with Top Female Award
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Ethiopian distance runner Almaz Ayana were crowned as the IAAF’s athletes of the year in Monaco on Friday. Bolt won three Olympic gold medals at the Rio Games despite missing much of the season through injury. He took the award for the sixth time. Ayana produced a stunning run on the first day of athletics in Rio, when she shattered the 10,000-metres world record that had stood for 23 years. She followed this with a 5,000m bronze medal in a year she had already clinched the diamond league in the 12 and a half lap race. She becomes the third Ethiopian woman to win the IAAF award, after the exploits of Genzebe Dibaba and Meseret Defar.
- CCTV Africa