Tigist Assefa breaks women's marathon world record in Berlin (1 Viewer)

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Ethiopian athlete, Tigist Assefa achieved a remarkable victory in the women's marathon in Berlin, shattering the world record in the process. As the defending champion, the Assefa had triumphed in last year's race with a time of 2:15.37, setting a course record and dominating the competition.

This time, Assefa made history of an even greater magnitude, crossing the finish line with an astonishing time of 2:11.53, surpassing the previous record held by Brigid Kosgei (2:14.04) set in Chicago in 2019. Berlin is renowned as one of the fastest marathon routes on the calendar, making it a likely setting for a new world record.

Remarkably, Assefa had only shifted her focus to marathons just 18 months ago, having previously been an 800m runner. At the midway point of the race, five other athletes were on pace to challenge the world record, but Assefa ultimately finished nearly six minutes ahead of the runner-up, Sheila Chepkirui.

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In the men's race, Eliud Kipchoge secured his fifth victory in Berlin, although this time the competition was much fiercer than the women's event. Kipchoge's Kenyan compatriot, Vincent Kipkemoi, trailed him by a mere 31 seconds as Kipchoge completed the race in 2:02.42. It's worth noting that this time was over a minute-and-a-half slower than Kipchoge's own world record of 2:01:09, which he had set in the same race just 12 months prior.