Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia made history by breaking the women’s marathon world record at the London Marathon in 2:15:50. The 28-year-old athlete dominated the race in the absence of 2024 winner Peres Jepchirchir, who set the previous record of 2:16:16. Assefa remained strong in a leading pack of four early on, but he surged ahead strongly in the final stretch to clinch a stunning victory.
Assefa expressed her joy at not only winning the title but also setting a new world record. She attributed her accomplishment to the hard work and commitment she put into her preparation after barely missing out on the title the previous year by seven seconds.
Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya came in second, clocking in at 2:18:43. She kept close to Assefa until the halfway point, but was unable to match his speed in the remaining ten kilometres. Sifan Hassan, a Dutch runner and Olympic champion, finished third in 2:18:59.
In the men’s elite event, Kenyan Sabastian Sawe pushed ahead following a close race to win in 2:02:27. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo won silver, while Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao, the defending champion, finished third.
