The women's 10,000 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 15 August at the Beijing National Stadium.

[1] The race was won by Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, who set a new Olympic record time of 29:54.66.

But in the second half of the race, the contenders moved to the front, dominated by Elvan Abeylegesse, with the string of runners lined up behind her.

Almost a half a minute back, Shalane Flanagan was the best of the rest for bronze, with Linet Chepkwemoi Masai setting the World junior record a few steps behind her.

[4] On 29 March 2017, IAAF confirmed that Abeylegesse had tested positive for a banned substance at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, and that her results from 2007 to 2009, including her Olympic silvers, had been expunged.