Berlin Marathon results: Assefa wins, misses world record
Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa topped the Berlin Marathon results on Sunday in 2:11:04 — the third-fastest women's time ever — but an injury late in the race halted her world-record bid as she collapsed after the finish and needed help leaving the course.
Key Takeaways
- Assefa won in 2:11:04, breaking her own Berlin course record of 2:11:53 from 2023.
- She was ahead of world-record pace at 35km before clear discomfort slowed her finish.
- Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56 mark from Chicago 2024 still stands as the world record.
- Ethiopia swept the women's top five; Guye Adola won the men's race in 2:02:50.
The 29-year-old Ethiopian, a Paris Olympics silver medallist and the 2026 London Marathon champion, had looked set to smash the women's world record before fading in the closing kilometres. According to BBC Sport, she still produced the third-fastest marathon by a woman in history.
That performance also improved on her London winning time of 2:15:41 earlier this year and underlined why Berlin remains a magnet for record attempts. More strange and striking sports stories sit in our Bizarre World hub.
What do the Berlin Marathon results show for Assefa?
Assefa started rapidly and led the field by a minute at 15km. She was still ahead of record pace at 35km and is known as a strong closer, yet she began to show clear discomfort and her pace dropped.
Even so, she broke the Berlin course record she set in 2023. The Olympics.com results list confirms she finished nearly six minutes clear of second place.
Who finished behind Assefa in the women's race?
The top five were all Ethiopian. Bedatu Hirpa took second in 2:16:53, with Dera Dida third in 2:16:55. Bekelech Gudeta (2:18:58) and Alemitu Tariku (2:19:01) completed the sweep.
Kenya's Pascaline Jelagat was sixth in 2:20:23. Ahead of the race, organiser SCC EVENTS had flagged Assefa's world-record pursuit and a deep elite field targeting fast times on Berlin's flat course.
Did anyone break a world record in Berlin?
No. Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56 from the 2024 Chicago Marathon remains the world record, though that mark is overshadowed by the three-year doping ban she received in 2025. Berlin has hosted 13 world records in its history; Assefa's bid for a 14th fell short.
In the men's race, Ethiopia's Guye Adola claimed his second Berlin title in 2:02:50. Gemechu Dida Diriba was second in 2:03:19, with Tanzania's Gabriel Gerald Geay third in 2:03:59.
Assefa's win keeps her among the sport's elite, but the late injury and post-finish collapse will define how this Berlin chapter is remembered — a victory that dazzled, and a record that got away.