Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won the women’s Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, 2026, despite suffering severe cramps in the final two kilometres that ended her attempt to set a world record.
The Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist crossed the finish line in 2:11:04 to claim her third Berlin title. She had been 20 seconds inside world-record pace at the 35-kilometre mark but slowed significantly before collapsing after finishing.
Assefa had been seeking to break Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich’s world record of 2:09:56. Ethiopia swept the first five positions in the women’s race, with Bedatu Hirpa finishing second and Dera Dida placing third.
Ethiopia’s Guye Adola won the men’s race in 2:02:50, followed by compatriot Gemechu Dida in second place and Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay in third.