Tigst Assefa wins Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04 after late injury setback

Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in two hours, 11 minutes and four seconds, overcoming late-race discomfort that ended her challenge for the women's world record. BBC Sport reported that the Ethiopian runner struggled across the finish before collapsing and receiving help to leave the course. Despite those difficulties, her time was the third-fastest in history.

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Assefa had built a commanding advantage well before the closing stages. She was a minute ahead of the field at 15 kilometres and remained inside world-record pace at 35 kilometres, according to BBC Sport's Tasnim Chowdhury. Her attempt then faltered as she began showing clear signs of discomfort and slowed. The report did not identify the injury or give a recovery timetable.

The victory nevertheless brought a personal best and a Berlin course record. Assefa improved on the 2:11:53 she ran in the German capital in 2023, lowering that mark by 49 seconds. That earlier performance had also stood as her fastest marathon, so Sunday's finish represented an improvement on both her own record and the leading time on the Berlin course.

The world record remained Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56 from the 2024 Chicago Marathon, leaving Assefa one minute and eight seconds short of the mark. BBC Sport noted that the Kenyan runner received a three-year doping ban in 2025, while continuing to identify her Chicago performance as the standing world record. Assefa's late slowdown therefore left the record unchanged despite her pace earlier in the race.

The result added a Berlin victory to Assefa's London Marathon success earlier this year. Her winning time in London was 2:15:41, making Sunday's performance four minutes and 37 seconds quicker. The 29-year-old also won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics two years ago, another result highlighted in the BBC report on her Berlin win.

Ethiopia occupied all five leading positions in the women's race. Bedatu Hirpa finished second and Dera Dida third behind Assefa. There was also an Ethiopian winner in the men's event, with Guye Adola taking victory in 2:02:50, completing a day of wins in both races for the country.