Heres a point: The womens 10k is a very weak event in depth. Why?
1/ The 2nd fastest ever time came unpaced and unheralded and in the rain with no competition (O'Sullivan was 300m behind). Also, it was in a championship race with no financial incentive for fast times.
2/ The next 4 best times ever came in the one championship race again with no pacers and no financial incentives. Paris World Champs.
3/ The womens 10,000m has only been an olympic event since 1988, prior to 1984 the longest event was the 1500m. It is an event that is its infancy compared to the mens equivelent.
4/ I can recall NO staged, paced, WR attempts in the 10k with the exception (perhaps) of Junxia in 93. The only time on the lists (top 20) that was in a 'staged' event was Kristiansens Oslo time (30'13). See List below.
Consider what might have happened had Paula run a 10k in Oslo instead of rainy, windy Munich in August 2002 with Abera and Dibaba sharing the pacemaking duties. A conservative estimate would be 29'45", just 16" faster than her Munich time. Why is it incomprehensible that Junxia would be just 13" further ahead of her?
29:31.78 Junxia Wang CHN 09 01 1973 1 Beijing 08 09 1993
30:01.09 Paula Radcliffe GBR 17 12 1973 1 München 06 08 2002
30:04.18 Berhane Adere ETH 21 07 1973 1 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:07.15 Werknesh Kidane ETH 21 11 1981 2 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:07.20 Yingjie Sun CHN 19 01 1979 3 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:12.53 Lornah Kiplagat NED 01 05 1974 4 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:13.37 Huandi Zhong CHN 28 06 1967 2 Beijing 08 09 1993
30:13.74 Ingrid Kristiansen NOR 21 03 1956 1 Oslo 05 07 1986
30:17.15 Paula Radcliffe 1 Gateshead 27 06 2004
30:17.49 Derartu Tulu ETH 21 03 1972 1 Sydney 30 09 2000
30:22.48 Gete Wami ETH 11 12 1974 2 Sydney 30 09 2000
30:22.88 Fernanda Ribeiro POR 23 06 1969 3 Sydney 30 09 2000
30:23.07 Alla Zhilyayeva RUS 05 02 1969 5 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:23.25 Ingrid Kristiansen 1 Stuttgart 30 08 1986
30:24.36 Huina Xing CHN 25 02 1984 1 Athína 27 08 2004
30:24.56 Gete Wami 1 Sevilla 26 08 1999
30:24.98 Ejegayehu Dibaba ETH 21 03 1982 2 Athína 27 08 2004
30:26.20 Galina Bogomolova RUS 15 10 1977 6 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:26.42 Derartu Tulu 3 Athína 27 08 2004
30:26.97 Paula Radcliffe 4 Sydney 30 09 2000
30:27.13 Paula Radcliffe 2 Sevilla 26 08 1999
30:28.26 Yingjie Sun 1 Busan 08 10 2002
30:28.30 Werknesh Kidane 4 Athína 27 08 2004
30:31.55 Huina Xing 7 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:31.92 Lornah Kiplagat 5 Athína 27 08 2004
30:32.03 Tegla Loroupe KEN 09 05 1973 3 Sevilla 26 08 1999
30:37.68 Benita Johnson AUS 06 05 1979 8 Paris Saint-Denis 23 08 2003
30:38.09 Yanmei Dong CHN 16 02 1977 1 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:39.41 Lixin Lan CHN 14 02 1979 2 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:39.98 Lili Yin CHN 11 11 1979 3 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:47.22 Zhaoxia Dong CHN 13 11 1974 4 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:47.59 Sonia O'Sullivan IRL 28 11 1969 2 München 06 08 2002
30:47.72 Dongmei Wang CHN 03 12 1972 5 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:48.89 Yoko Shibui JPN 14 03 1979 1 Palo Alto, CA 03 05 2002
30:50.32 Deena Kastor USA 14 02 1973 2 Palo Alto, CA 03 05 2002
30:51.81 Kayoko Fukushi JPN 25 03 1982 2 Busan 08 10 2002
30:52.51 Elana Meyer RSA 10 10 1966 1 London 10 09 1994
30:55.83 Shixiang Liu CHN 13 01 1971 6 Shanghai 19 10 1997
30:57.07 Liz McColgan GBR 24 05 1964 1 Hengelo 25 06 1991
30:57.21 Olga Bondarenko RUS 02 06 1960 2 Stuttgart 30 08 1986
30:57.70 Leah Malot KEN 07 06 1972 2 Heusden 05 08 2000
30:57.83 Lidiya Grigoryeva RUS 21 01 1974 3 Tula 03 08 2003
30:59.92 Merima Hashim ETH 1981 3 Heusden 05 08 2000
31:03.60 Marleen Renders BEL 24 12 1968 4 Heusden 05 08 2000
31:03.62 Kathrin Wessel GER 14 08 1967 1 Frankfurt-am-Main 30 06 1991
31:04.00 Lyudmila Biktasheva RUS 25 07 1974 3 München 06 08 2002
31:04.10 Jelena Prokopcuka LAT 21 09 1976 7 Athína 27 08 2004
31:04.34 Jane Wanjiku KEN 14 06 1979 1 Kobe 25 04 2004
31:04.49 Derbe Alemu ETH 1983 1 Uden 03 07 2004
31:05.57 Maura Viceconte ITA 03 10 1967 5 Heusden 05 08