A few minutes before the start of Friday mornings 10,000-meter race, Almaz Ayana, a 24-year-old distance runner from Ethiopia, kneeled on the track and quickly made a cross over her chest. When the prerecorded sound of a gunshot rang through Rios Olympic Stadium, the mass of 37 runners took off and swiftly separated into two groups; Ayana and the defending champion from Ethiopia, Tirunesh Dibaba, ran in the first pack.For a dozen or so laps, they loped along in an orderly line, as though they were queuing up for coffee. Then, at the 5,200-meter mark, the front-runners prepared to lap some of the runners who lagged behind -- and Ayana broke free.Like a getaway car weaving through traffic, she swerved around the laggards, leaving the rest of the leaders in blind, hopeless pursuit. As the competition wore on, Ayana pulled farther and farther ahead, eventually setting a new world record in the 10,000-meter race: 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds.It was just her second time ever competing in the event.The first occurred just over a month ago, when the newcomer took on Dibaba at the Ethiopian Olympic trials in Hengelo, Netherlands. The results shocked the distance community -- not just because it was Ayanas first official race, but also because it was the first time that Dibaba, one of the most lauded distance runners in history, lost a 10,000-meter race. Before that day, the 31-year-old three-time gold medalist had competed in the event 11 times and won them all. Then came Ayana.Dibaba, who was returning from a hiatus after having a son, is royalty in the racing world. Her cousin, Derartu Tulu, was the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Dibabas older sister, Ejegayehu, took silver in Athens. Their younger sister, Genzebe, is tapped to win the 1,500-meter race next week. According to a profile in Vogue, the sisters are celebrities in Ethiopia, where they travel by car to avoid being mobbed. Tiruneshs wedding to fellow distance runner Sileshi Sihine was shown on national television, and the couple is opening a luxury hotel this fall.Tirunesh Dibaba lives in the capital city of Addis Ababa, but she grew up in Bekoji, a rural mountain community of about 16,000 people thats produced an extraordinary number of Olympians. The towns runners have won 10 gold medals in track and field, more than entire countries. Ayana was raised in the same area, admiring the legendary sisters from afar. When I was very young, green and wet, I was thinking of the Dibaba family, she said after the race.Dibaba, who called Ayana her lovely young sister, said she was pleased with the results. But she admitted that the pace gave her problems. In my experience, it was very difficult, she said.Unlike sprints, which have a less complicated mandate (run fast!), the 10,000-meter race requires a great deal of strategy; a moderate pace benefits runners like Dibaba, who is known for her furious kick at the end. The event poses an excruciating test of both endurance and speed. Competitors must run 25 laps quickly, but carefully, so that they dont melt into exhaustion -- which is why Ayanas fluid, relentless gait, especially after her surge at the halfway point, was so stunning.Afterward, one journalist mused aloud: I was like ... does she think this is a 5K?Almost immediately, the results invited skepticism. Ayana hadnt just beaten Wang Junxias record, she had annihilated it, topping the 1993 time by 15 seconds. It was a shocking outcome, especially given that Junxia later admitted to participating in Chinas doping program. After the race, Swedish runner Sarah Lahti, who finished 12th, told the newspaper Expressen that she didnt believe Ayana was 100 percent. She added: I cannot say that she is not clean, but there is a little doubt.When asked about the allegations, Ayana smiled. My doping is my training, she said. My doping is Jesus.For Ayana, the race began with a prayer and ended with a call to worship. At the 8,000-meter mark, she was so far in front of the pack, the stadium began to stir; applause followed behind her, rippling through the crowd like a sonic wave. When she hit the final stretch, the old world-record time flashed on a screen near the medal stand, reminding the audience of what was at stake. Everyone rose and cheered.Afterward, once she had crossed the finish line and learned what she had accomplished, Ayana waited patiently for Dibaba, who would finish in third. The young Ethiopian had easily outraced the legend and the rest of the group.And history, too. 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Have you ever found yourself feverishly flipping through a fashion publication, from cover to cover, searching for your likeness, only to be met with disappointment?The majority of women have.Despite being 67 percent of the market, plus-size (U.S. size 14 and up) women make up less than 2 percent of the images we see in publications, retail stores or advertising campaigns. This is a startling and indefensible statistic that Refinery29, an online destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life, is tackling head-on via its newly launched initiative, the 67 Percent Project. It aims to amplify the conversation around societys definition, views and acceptance of diverse beauty.On Wednesday, R29 hosted Every Beautiful Body in partnership with retailers Lane Bryant and Aerie. Held in lower Manhattan, the symposium united fashion industry thought leaders, influencers and celebrities for a day of thought-provoking panels. Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks (and now model) stepped in as the keynote speaker for one of the sessions.After Brooks addressed the room of 100-plus women, espnW had a conversation with the Tony-nominated actress about embracing her curves and why Serena Williams represents her ultimate #bodygoal.This interview has been modified for length.?espnW: What is your favorite part of your body and why?Danielle Brooks:?I like my thighs a lot. Theyre smooth and thick. I mean solid. I feel like an Amazonian woman because of my thighs. In a healthy way, of course.espnW: What about your favorite curve?DB: My butt. [Because] its bubbly and also firm. Just round and big. I like that its big. I like that its mine. I like that it carries me around. I like that in my head, it looks like Serena Williamss [butt]. Shes the definition of ?body goals.espnW: What makes you feel sexy?DB: When I am fully confident, I feel sexy. Theres something attractive about a woman regardless of how big or small she is. When she walks into a room, and she loves herself ... that is just attractive. She can be wearing a trash bag, but if shes feeling herself, shes sexy.espnW: Have you always been confident about your body?DB: I think what makes us all human is the fact that we are inconsistent. One day, I am feeling very confident and the next day ... ugh, I shouldnt have eaten that pizza. Its just who we are as people. Im constantly trying to change my mindset on how I look at my body. Sometimes I have to be conscious of what my brain is taking in. Maybe its because I was on Instagram too long? That might be why I feel some type of way. So, I have to change what Im taking in -- what Im reading, and what Im looking at. Because this is what the conversation is all about.espnW: What makes you feel fierce?DB: Doing what I love. Acting. Like right now, Im in The Color Purple on Broadway and when I get on that stage, and at the end of the two-and-a-half-hour show -- just giving 150 percent of myself -- and hearing that applause at the end of the night. I feel like yeah, Danii you did that!Or, working on Orange is the New Black.dddddddddddd Getting up early. Just being a hard worker. And doing it with a peace of mind. Staying sane and grounded. All of that makes me feel fierce.espnW: How did you learn to embrace your body?DB:?Im still trying to navigate that. Growing up I wasnt that girl that all of the guys wanted. I have natural hair, dark skin, and being a big girl ... wasnt always in. Ive had to reprogram my mind. I have to know that Im worthy.espnW:?Do you think the fashion industry is evolving to be more size-inclusive?DB: Slowly. Its like a turtle right now, but were getting somewhere. As they say: slow and steady wins the race. I think we still have a long way to go when it comes to fashion. Its very upsetting to me when I open up a magazine and dont see myself.espnW: Why is every body beautiful?DB:?Every body is beautiful because you only get one. And the thing is ... this is flesh. This goes. Its really about the spirit. Because we are blessed to have this body that reflects our spirit, we have to take care of it, and we have to embrace it. Because once its gone; its gone.espnW: Curvy vs. plus-size: do you prefer a specific term?DB: I prefer curvy because it gives me the fluidity to live freely in my own body. For example, I might have a kid and gain a bunch of weight, or have a kid and lose a bunch of weight. Its a reminder to women that your body can be whatever you want it to be.Regarding the term plus-size, I understand why it bothers some women. But it doesnt bother me. To be honest, the word fat is more troubling, because it implies that you dont take care of yourself, or that youre unhealthy. But plus-size --- yes, Im a 14. Im not a size 6, and Im healthy. I never looked at the term plus-size as a negative thing.espnW: Criticisms such as: youre too curvy, too dark, or your natural hair is too distracting, are often said to women of color. How does it feel to be handpicked by Lane Bryant to be their visual representative of womanhood?DB: Overwhelming, in the best sense of the word. It feels good. Im making my people proud. Yesterday I was on stage [at The Color Purple] and as I took my final bow, this 40-something black woman in the crowd mouthed the words, Im proud of you. And thats what I feel from my community.And I feel that from people that look like me ... and that dont look like me. I am a representation of women that I follow, and that I model myself after -- Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Uzo Aduba and Serena --- and I want to stay. I dont want to let my ancestors down, because they just worked so hard for me to be in this position. I dont want to take it lightly, and I want to continue to make them proud.Shana Renee is the founder and editor-in-chief of All Sports Everything and a passionate New York Jets, Knicks and Yankees fan. Follow her sports talk on Twitter at @ItsShanaRenee. ' ' '