Berlin Marathon: Tigst Assefa wins but injury halts world record time
Tigst Assefa secured victory at the Berlin Marathon with the third-fastest women's time ever, but missed a potential world record due to a sudden tendon injury near the finish line. Race officials praised her remarkable grit in finishing the grueling race despite extreme pain.
Why it matters
It captures a dramatic and rare moment in elite athletics where sheer physical endurance pushes an athlete past severe injury to a major course record.
Figure caption, Injured Assefa narrowly misses world record in Berlin
An injured Tigst Assefa hobbled over the line at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday after looking set to smash the women's world record.
The Ethiopian still won with the third-fastest time in history in two hours 11 minutes four seconds.
But the 29-year-old, a silver medallist at the Paris Olympics two years ago, had been cruising to a new record before fading in the final stages.
Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetich's time of 2:09:56, set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, remains the world record time, though that result is overshadowed by the three-year doping ban she received in 2025.
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