Olympic runner Almaz Ayana smashes 10km world record, testifies: 'My doping is Jesus Christ'

Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana shot back at doubters and pointed to Jesus and her training after smashing a long-standing world record that was set 23 years ago.

The 24-year-old long-distance runner finished first with 29:17.45 on Friday morning's 10,000-meter race event at the 2016 Rio Olympics and thereby edged Chinese runner Junxia Wang's feat in 1993, which stood unsurpassed for more than two scores.

Ayana spoke during a post-race press conference to possibly crush doubters to silence on the possibility of her blitzing Wang's best. She named three factors behind her success and even admitted to the allegations of doping — but of a rather unusual kind.

"Three things: Number one, I did my training, Number two, I praise the Lord, he is giving me everything, everything, everything," said Ayana through a translator.

Then she added, "And my doping is my training, my doping is Jesus. Otherwise, nothing. I am crystal clear."

Ayana added that breaking the world record never even crossed her mind as she only planned on winning the race.

Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot came in second while Ayana's fellow Ethiopian and defending champion, Tirunesh Dibaba, came in third place.

Sweden's Sarah Lahti, who came in 12th in the race, cast doubts on the gold medalist.

"I do not really believe that she is 100 percent," Lahti reportedly told Swedish newspaper Expressen "It is too easy for her. I cannot say that she is not clean, but there is little doubt."

The 21-year-old Swedish runner added that she did not see any facial expressions from Ayana. Irish former runner Sonia O'Sullivan agreed with Lahti's doubts and raised skeptical questions on the likelihood of ever achieving such speed with relative ease.

"How can you do that?" asked O'Sullivan on Irish television network RTE, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. "Is it 23 years of knowing more training, being better athletes? How do you have an athlete that can break the world record so easily like that?"

O'Sullivan added, "She didn't look very tired afterwards."

Jo Pavey, the 42-year-old leading British runner who finished 15th overall, could only wish that doping athletes would not mar the race.

"I hope we have come through those dark days and we have a brighter future for the sport," The Telegraph quoted Pavey as saying.