Ethiopian runner Tigst Assef won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:11:04, the third fastest in history. The victory was achieved despite an injury that required surgery on her Achilles tendon.
According to her manager, Gianni Demadonna, the 29-year-old will be out for approximately six months. Despite this, her performance in Berlin will remain remembered as one of the fastest in the history of the discipline.
Assef was close to breaking the world record in Berlin. She ran at a pace that would have secured the record, accelerating in the final ten kilometres. However, she slowed in the final stretch, passing the finish line visibly limping. She failed to surpass the world record held by Ruth Chepngetich, who ran the marathon in Chicago in 2024 in 2:09:56.
The Kenyan runner is currently suspended following a positive doping test, yet her world record remains unbroken following the 52nd edition of the Berlin Marathon. Assef missed the opportunity to take the record, but remains one of the fastest marathon runners in history.
Three years ago, Assef set the world record with a time of 2:11:53, before the record was taken by Chepngetich. Assef has triumphed in Berlin three times – in 2022, 2023 and 2026. Additionally, she has won the London Marathon this year and last.
Assef won the silver medal in the marathon at the Olympic Games, confirming her elite status. Her performance in Berlin, despite the injury, further cemented her status as one of the greatest marathon runners of the present day.
