"My doping is Jesus" - World record breaker responds to cheat taunts

10,000 metres Olympic gold medallist Almaz Ayana has defended herself from allegations of drug use by saying, "My doping is Jesus."

The Ethiopian athlete won an extraordinary 10,000 in a stunning world record time.

Ayana smashed a 23-year-old world record to win the greatest-ever women's 10,000 meters and was then immediately forced to defend herself in the face of doping allegations.

Ayana clocked 29 minutes 17.45 seconds, an incredible 14 seconds inside the 29:31.78 set by China's Wang Junxia in 1993.

No woman had gone under 30 minutes in the last seven years, but the first four all did on Friday, and the first 13 finishers ran the best time of their lives, including several national records.

Ayana had barely completed her victory lap before the questions started, and in her news conference she denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

"My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus. I am crystal clear," she said through an interpreter.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

News
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster

Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. 

The mystery of the Wise Men
The mystery of the Wise Men

The carol assures us that “We three kings of Orient are…” and tells us they were “following yonder star”. Can we be sure there were three of them? Were they kings? Where in the Orient were they from? What was the star they followed? In fact, there is a lot that we just do not know. This is the story …

English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day
English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day

English Heritage has admitted it got it wrong when it shared false claims that the date of Christmas is derived from a pagan Roman festival in honour of a sun god.

Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'
Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'

Pam Knowles started helping out her church Sunday school in 1951 at the age of 13.