Tigst Assefa broke the women’s world record by more than two minutes on Sunday at the Berlin Marathon clocking 2 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds. Assefa took more than two minutes off Kenyan Brigid Kosgei’s world record of 2:14:04 from the 2019 Chicago Marathon. She won by nearly six minutes over Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui who came in at 2:17:49.
The 26-year-old, a former 800-metre runner, expressed her astonishment at her own accomplishment, saying, “I knew I wanted to go for the world record, but I never thought I would do this time. It was the result of hard work.”
In a remarkable coincidence, Assefa’s feat overshadowed another record-holder, Eliud Kipchoge, who clinched his record fifth victory on Berlin’s quick and flat inner-city course in the men’s race.
The 38-year-old Kenyan, aiming for his third Olympic marathon medal in Paris next year, did not manage to break his own record but finished with a commendable time of two hours, two minutes, and 42 seconds.
