Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana celebrates winning the women's 10,000m final.
Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana celebrates winning the women's 10,000m final.
Ian Walton/Getty Images South America/Getty Images

Story highlights

Ethiopian smashes 10,000m world record

Almaz Ayana bests 1993 mark by 14 seconds

CNN  — 

The Rio Olympics track and field competition has barely started but we already have a new world record in the women’s 10,000 meters final.

Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana stunned spectators at Rio’s Olympic Stadium on Friday crossing the line in a time of 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds, smashing a record that has stood for nearly 23 years.

Ayana, the reigning world 5,000m champion, obliterated the field taking 14 seconds off the previous best set by China’s Junxia Wang in September 1993.

The 24-year-old Ayana was followed home by Kenya’s Vivian Cheriot with London 2012 champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia taking bronze.

READ MORE: Rio Olympics 2016 – Where is everyone?

A further two gold medals will be decided on the opening day of track and field – the men’s 20 kilometers walk and women’s shot put.