Arabic version: أسيفا تفوز بماراثون برلين رغم إصابة متأخرة

According to BBC News, Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday despite an injury slowing her in the closing stages when she had appeared on course to break the women’s world record. The Ethiopian crossed in two hours 11 minutes four seconds, the third-fastest time in history.

Assefa, 29, started quickly and held a one-minute lead at the 15km mark. She remained ahead of world-record pace at 35km and had been expected to finish strongly, but began to show clear discomfort as her pace dropped late in the race. She hobbled over the finish line, collapsed after crossing it and had to be helped from the course.

Her winning time broke the Berlin course record of 2:11:53 that she set in 2023, which had also been her previous personal best. It also improved on the 2:15:41 she ran when winning the 2026 London Marathon. Assefa was a silver medallist at the Paris Olympics two years ago.

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 from the 2024 Chicago Marathon remains the world-record time, although that result is overshadowed by the three-year doping ban she received in 2025. Ethiopia filled the first five places in Berlin, with Bedatu Hirpa second and Dera Dida third. In the men’s race, Ethiopian Guye Adola won in 2:02:50.