LONDON: Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia claimed her first London Marathon title on Sunday, breaking the women’s-only race record with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds.
Assefa surged ahead in the final kilometers, distancing herself from Joyciline Jepkosgei to secure the victory.
Although the time set was the fastest ever in a women’s-only marathon, it was 25 seconds shy of the overall course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003.
Assefa's performance made up for her second-place finishes in both London and the Paris Olympics last year.
The weather, warmer than the previous year, was to Assefa’s advantage, as she had struggled with cold conditions in 2024.
Jepkosgei, the 2021 London Marathon winner, faded in the latter part of the race and finished almost three minutes behind Assefa.
Sifan Hassan, who was a contender for the win, finished third, 3:10 behind the leader.
This win adds to Assefa’s two Berlin Marathon titles and further cements her place as a top marathoner in the world.
[Reported by Arab News]
