Between breaking records, making history, and winning Olympic gold medals, these five women have stood out as FloTrack's pro female athletes of 2016.  

5. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya)

After years of missing out on Olympic gold, Vivian Cheruiyot finally earned her victory in the 5K at the Games in Rio. 

The Kenyan distance star--who finished fifth in the 5K at the 2008 Games and earned silver in the 5K and bronze in the 10K at the 2012 Games--clinched the victory by outrunning 10K world record-holder Almaz Ayana. Cheruiyot and her training partner Helen Obiri finished in 14:26 and 14:29 while Ayana followed for third in 14:33. 

The 5K performance was sweet redemption for Cheruiyot who finished 15 seconds behind Ayana, while the Ethiopian shattered the 10K world record to win Olympic gold. 

At 33 years old, Cheruiyot owns five world championship titles, but she can now finally call herself an Olympic champion.

4. Keni Harrison (United States)

After breaking the American record in the 100m hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic last May, Keni Harrison was poised to win the Olympic Trials and make her first Olympic team. But disaster struck when Harrison finished sixth in the final and missed her opportunity to make Team USA. 

Instead of wallowing in disappointment, Harrison returned with a vengeance at the London Diamond League meeting where she beat every member of Team USA on her way to breaking the world record. Harrison ran 12.20 to break Yordanka Donkova's 1988 record by 0.01. 

Related: Coach Floreal Shares How Keni Harrison Went From Heartbreak to World Record

Harrison's priceless reaction to her record-breaking performance also caught the attention of track fans around the world. 

Im the WORLD RECORD HOLDER 12.20. I am a walking testimony of how incredible God truly is. pic.twitter.com/TMKVQt2I1g

— Keni Harrison (@Ken_AYE_) July 23, 2016

3. Elaine Thompson (Jamaica)

Elaine Thompson emerged as a star of the Olympic Games in August, when she earned gold medals in the 100m and 200m. The Jamaican speedster earned her first gold medal in the 100m, blasting a 10.71 to beat world bronze medalist Tori Bowie and two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Four days later, Thompson returned to win gold in the 200m with a world-leading time of 21.78. In the process, Thompson defeated defending world champion Dafne Schippers and Bowie. 

Thompson's 100m and 200m Olympic victories made her the first woman to complete the double since Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Games. She is also part of a Jamaican sprint legacy. Three of the last four Olympic 200m titles have been won by Jamaican female sprinters. 

Prior to the Olympic Games, Thompson earned a bronze medal in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships and set a world-leading mark and personal best of 10.70 in the 100m at the Jamaican national championships.  

2. Caster Semenya (South Africa)

Caster Semenya had one of the most dominant seasons of anyone on the circuit. With just one runner-up finish this year, Semenya won nearly every race she entered from the 200m to the 1500m, highlighted by Olympic gold in the 800m. 

Semenya's Olympic performance was poised for greatness as her lead-up included an undefeated streak of seven world leads and a pre-Olympic season's best of 1:55.33 set at the Monaco Diamond League meeting.



The performance broke her 2009 personal best and set a South African national record and a world lead by nearly a full second. During the early part of the 2016 season, Semenya showed her range when she ran a 400m personal best of 50.74 to win the South African championships. 

By the time the Olympics came around, Semenya was ready for gold. She blasted a 1:55.28 to win the 800m final in the fifth-fastest mark in Olympic history and is now the No. 11 performer all-time. 

1. Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia)

The Ethiopian distance star rose to legendary status when she broke the 10K world record at the Olympic Games in Rio. Wang Junxia's previous record of 29:31 from 1993 was shattered by Ayana when she won Olympic gold in 29:17.46--15 seconds faster than runner-up Vivian Cheruiyot. It was the Ethiopian's second 10K of her career. 

Just four days later, Ayana ran the preliminary round of the 5K and qualified for the final by winning her heat in 15:04. Three days later, Ayana earned a bronze medal in the 5K with a 14:33 finishing time. It was also the only loss during Ayana's entire 2016 season. 

Prior to the Olympic Games, Ayana issued several attacks on the 5K world record. The first came at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, where Ayana ran a solo 14:16 to establish a then-world lead and come within five seconds of Tirunesh Dibaba's 14:11.15 world record. One week later, Ayana came within a second of breaking the mark when she ran 14:12 at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. After the Olympic Games, Ayana made her final attempt in Brussels when she ran 14:18. 

Although she didn't break the record she'd hope to shatter, Ayana's 10K performance in Rio solidified her position in track and field history, capped off by the honor of IAAF World Athlete of the Year.