Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa annihilated the women’s marathon world record Sunday after winning the Berlin Marathon, effortlessly finishing the course in 2:11:53 and knocking more than two minutes off the previous best.
The win marks her second Berlin Marathon title, defeating the record-winning race two minutes and 11 seconds faster than Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei’s former world record set at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
Assefa is still considered a rookie in distance – the win was only her third competitive marathon after deciding to transition from middle-distance running to marathons.
The race was intense from the very start with the foremost 12 women all running within world record rapidity through the first 15 kilometers.
Halfway through the race, Assefa, 26, was already over a minute inside world record pace and at the head of the race, darting forward of the field.
She would eventually cross the finish line six minutes ahead of Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui in second and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri in third – the latter also set a national record with a 2:18:41 time.
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won fifth place in the men’s race, discontinuing the clock at 2:02:42, the fifth-fastest time of his athletic career.
Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion, was confronted for most of the race by Derseh Kindie but ultimately outperformed the Ethiopian by approximately 31 kilometers into the race, winning by 31 seconds.
In May, Shine My Crown reported another record-breaking race.
Sha’Carri Richardson recently reappeared back in the limelight after a record-breaking appearance at the Diamond League season opener in Doha.
The first-rate track and field runner clinched first place in the 100m in 10.76 seconds (the fastest time in the world this year). The win makes her the only American woman to break 10.80 seconds in six years. Her personal best was in 2019 with a time of 10.72 seconds.
The Dallas native also broke the 2023 record of 10.82 seconds set by Sherika Jackson, the star athlete who hails from Jamaica. Jackson came in second place at 10.85 seconds and Dina Asher-Smith came in at 10.98 seconds, winning third place.
“I found my peace back on the track, and I’m not letting anything or anybody take that anymore,” the track star told NBC Sports at the time of her win.
