Aigst Assefa broke the women’s world record by more than two minutes Sunday at the Berlin Marathon, as Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s race for the fifth time but couldn’t break his own record.
Assefa sank to her knees after crossing the line and raised her arms, then celebrated with the flag of Ethiopia. She was nearly six minutes clear of any other runner in Sunday’s marathon, with Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya second in 2:17:49 and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri third in 2:18:41 This victory shows me that hard training and good preparation prove their worth. And for Ethiopia as a country, it will probably be a big boost for men and women with the Olympics,” said Assets.
In the men’s event, Kipchoge ran alone from 32 kilometers (20 miles) onward after Ethiopia’s Derseh Kindie dropped away, but slowed slightly toward the end. His time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, 42 seconds was more than a minute and a half off the record he set in Berlin last year.
Kipchoge’s fellow Kenyan Vincent Kipkemoi was second in 2:03:13 with Tadese Takele of Ethiopia close behind in 2:03:24.
Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier in Vienna in 2019 when he ran 1:59:40 but it was not officially considered the world record. He was running in an event that did not conform to regulations because it was tailored around his time, with groups of pacemakers and drinks delivered by a cyclist.
