Almaz Ayana

“Rio gave me a big morale, but I plan to achieve even more than I have so far.”

“There might be young athletes who look at me as a role model,When I was young, in the countryside, there were famous athletes who were competing. This kind of athlete is important. There has been a big difference [since Rio], with the [Ethiopian] people, with my lifestyle and with my training. It’s been different in everything.”

“I was very shocked, I was really upset. Why? Because I didn’t think I would lose.”

“It was very fast from the beginning,The result happened like I expected it would.”

“I was a bit anxious.”

“My husband said one day I should try it at least once, and the result was very good. I was second in the Diamond League in Paris so I said, ‘OK, I will run the 5000m now.’ It wasn’t a decision, it was an accident.”

“I want to break the world record in Paris because it is a special place for me, It was in Paris where I decided to switch events two years ago. It was here that I first thought I had real potential.”

“It’s not a championship where we are running for our country; it is an individual race where we are running for ourselves, and so I will run with my own tactics and stick with the way I like to run.”

“My only goal is to be in the lead and to go fast, I prefer to lead and always go to the front of the pack. That’s how I want to run tomorrow.”

“But it will be easier with Genzebe in the race because it is always hard to fight alone. Tomorrow we will try together.”

“I am ready to break the world record tomorrow, I will need a pace of between 67 and 68 seconds (per lap); that would be perfect. My only fear is about the weather. If it is too warm it will be difficult.”

“I’m not naturally gifted with speed so I concentrated on endurance, My plan was to move slowly from 5000m to 10,000m, but I didn’t want to move up too early.”

“I was comfortable with the pace, I had prepared well for this.”

“My plan was just to win, I only saw the record after I finished.”