Assefa missed the podium ceremony and press conference. Her time was the third fastest in women’s marathon history, behind Fotyen Tesfay’s 2:10:51 in Barcelona and Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 world record in Chicago in 2024. Dpa reports that Chepngetich is suspended following a positive doping test, while her record remains valid.
The 29-year-old led the women’s field from the outset in near-ideal conditions with pacemaker support. She began slightly slower than Chepngetich’s record pace, maintained a strong second half and remained on world-record schedule at 40 kilometres before pain struck.
It was Assefa’s third Berlin victory after 2022 and 2023. Her 2023 run of 2:11:53 was a world record at the time. The Paris Olympic and Tokyo world championship silver medallist had aimed to improve her best. RTL analyst Sabrina Mockenhaupt said the runner might need several days to appreciate her personal best after the disappointment.
Esther Pfeiffer, targeting Irina Mikitenko’s German record of 2:19:19, dropped out after about 15 kilometres of her second marathon. Anna Langerwisch was the fastest German woman, placing 16th in 2:27:31.
The Haftom Welday was the top German man, 16th in 2:08:25. Sabastian Sawe withdrew beforehand through injury; Amanal Petros and other leading German runners are targeting Frankfurt in about a month.