Deeply religious Ethiopian athlete Almaz Ayana’s life revolves around three things. God, running and family. “That is, in no particular order,” says her Dutch manager Yvonne van Haperen quickly.

With the help of higher forces, as Ayana (34) did not fail to emphasize on Sunday after the Amsterdam marathon, the orthodox Christian debutant rose far beyond herself on the classic 42.195 meters. The Olympic champion over 10,000 meters in Rio 2016, who cut the 13-year-old world record for this distance to 29:17:45 in the Brazilian metropolis, also showed that she is alone in the marathon.

Her win in 2.17.20 was the fastest time ever run by a debutante. Also a track record. With a resounding thud, she thundered into the all-time world rankings, where she claimed seventh place. Statistical additional fact: For the first time in the history of the marathon, three debutants were on the podium. Ayana was flanked during the ceremony by her compatriots Genzebe Dibaba (2.18.04) and Tsehay Gemechu (2.18.58).

A wonder

Jos Hermens, the founder of Global Sports Communication, to whom Ayana is under contract, called the win “a miracle”. A year after the Olympic Games in Rio, she became world champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in London, after which her career seemed to be over.

Chronic overload during the training sessions had caused craters in the cartilage of both knees, as it turned out after six months of research. Hermens scoured town and country for six months to find a doctor who could put the African back on track. “With a different management, her career would have come to an end,” he said firmly.

At the beginning of 2018, Ayana finally ended up in Bern, where Roland Biedert looked after her. The Swiss orthopaedist, who counts tennis player Roger Federer and a trio of top skiers among his clientele, quickly calmed the African down. He would also get this athlete back on his feet.

“There was a one centimeter diameter hole in the cartilage of both knees,” Hermens said. “During an operation, Ayana received cartilage in both joints from an American donor who died shortly before the operation. The cartilage has grown well, although that was not a matter of course. The full rehabilitation took a total of four years.”

During the recovery, the opportunity was taken to tinker with her technique. On the track, she ran with her knees bent in, which would inevitably cause problems in the marathon.

“We took our time in recovery and insisted that full recovery is the most important thing. We didn’t care when she could put pressure on her body again,” said Van Haperen. Patience was indeed a virtue. “She’s doing better now than ever.”

Drastic turnaround

The four years of rehab led to a time when her private life took a drastic turn. Because no competitions were held for two years due to the global corona pandemic, she decided to fulfill her wish to have children. In November 2021, her son Surafel was born, a newborn who she breastfed until August of this year.

According to Hermens, it shows what an exceptional talent Ayana is. For illustration, he once again cited their first game out of rehab after finishing at Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium. In March 2022, he watched from his motorcycle as his student finished the Madrid Half Marathon in 1.09. “When I asked her why she was panting so much during the game, she casually told me that she had only been training for two months.”

Four weeks ago he accompanied her to a game in Newcastle. “Then she turned out to be completely overtrained.” Hermens immediately sent Getaneh Tessema, a former athlete who works for him as a trainer, to Ethiopia to completely change the training schedule at a later date.

Hermens also saw the result of this intervention, if there was one in Amsterdam. “It’s unbelievable how much potential this woman has. There is still a lot to gain in terms of training and nutrition.”

He would prefer Ayana to shake off the trepidation so characteristic of Ethiopian women in the future. After some emphasis and the almost traditional word of thanks to the organization, she very briefly revealed the secret of her victory. “I’ve had patience and God’s help over the last few years.”

“This modesty is burned into the culture,” Hermens clarified. “Women are simply subordinate to men in Ethiopia.”

Hermens, a regular at the Horn of Africa, still managed to wow Ayana on Sunday morning. “I only said one thing at breakfast. ‘Today is deer women day.’ Almaz laughed a little when I said that.