Tigst Assefa Wins Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04 After Cramps Deny Record
Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04 after severe cramps in the final kilometers derailed her world record attempt.
Tigst Assefa came close to a historic moment at the Berlin Marathon, but suffered severe cramps in the final stretch. The Ethiopian runner was on track for a world record before experiencing severe cramps in the final two kilometers, finishing with a victory in a time of 2:11:04 hours.
Assefa, the Olympic silver medalist from Paris 2024 and former world record holder, reached the 35th kilometer 20 seconds ahead of the required pace to break the record of Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, which stands at 2:09:56 hours.
Hundreds of thousands filled the streets of Berlin to watch Assefa open up a gap from the start, paced by pacemakers and crossing the halfway mark at world record pace. On the flat and fast Berlin course, the record seemed within reach.
However, as the finish line near the Brandenburg Gate approached, Assefa began to slow down. The cramps worsened, and every second gained towards the world record melted away.
Despite struggling to run in the final hundreds of meters, the Ethiopian runner did not give up, limping across the finish line to take first place. She immediately collapsed in disappointment, despite securing her third Berlin Marathon victory.
