Tigst Assefa Wins Berlin Marathon Despite Injury and Cramps

Ethiopian Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, 2026, clocking the third-fastest time in history at 2:11:04 despite suffering late-race cramps and an Achilles tendon injury that dashed her world record bid.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the sun-drenched streets of the German capital for what was widely anticipated to be a historic morning. Assefa, the 2026 London Marathon winner and an Olympic silver medallist at the Paris 2024 Games, ran virtually unchallenged from the start with her group of pacemakers. She powered through the halfway mark well inside world-record tempo on a course renowned for its flat, fast inner-city layout.

The pacing remained remarkably sharp through the middle kilometers. Assefa opened a 25-second lead by the 5km mark which grew to a minute at 15km, maintaining pressure well past the 35-kilometer checkpoint where she still ran roughly 15 seconds ahead of the required schedule. Yet sport proved unforgiving in the closing stages.

How Injury and Cramps Derailed a Historic World Record Bid

With the finish line past the Brandenburg Gate nearly in sight, physical distress struck abruptly. Assefa began battling severe cramps and a right leg injury in the final two kilometers, visibly limping as her pace evaporated. She traversed the final stretch gamely but collapsed onto the asphalt in disappointment.

We have to bow our heads to this performance.

Mark Milde, race director

Race director Mark Milde confirmed to the Agence France-Presse that the athlete was suffering from an Achilles tendon injury. To finish like this, I’ve never seen something like this. The pain is hard to imagine, Milde added, noting that Assefa missed the official podium ceremony while receiving urgent medical treatment.

Where the Women’s Elite Standings and Records Landed

While the world record of 2:09:56 set by Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon remains intact—a mark still shadowed by the Kenyan’s three-year doping ban handed down in 2025—Assefa’s final clocking established multiple milestones. Her time of 2:11:04 marked the third-fastest women’s marathon in history, improved upon her 2:15:41 showing in London earlier in the year, and broke the 2:11:53 Berlin course record she had set in 2023.

Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa (C) is helped off the track after winning the 2026 Berlin Marathon — John MACDOUGALL / AFP — Photo: afp.com

Athlete	Country	Time
Tigst Assefa	Ethiopia	2:11:04
Bedatu Hirpa	Ethiopia	2:16:53
Dera Dida	Ethiopia	2:16:55

The women’s elite podium reflected an absolute sweep by Ethiopian competitors. Bedatu Hirpa secured second place in 2:16:53, while Dera Dida finished third in 2:16:55, with both athletes slicing substantial margins off their previous personal bests.

Guye Adola Claims Men’s Victory in the German Capital

The men’s race brought a parallel triumph for Ethiopia as Guye Adola secured his second Berlin Marathon crown with a disciplined run of 2:02:50. Adola previously won the German capital race in 2021 after making his marathon debut there in 2017.

Adola bided his time within a crowded lead group, executing a tactical surge past the 30-kilometer mark to emerge with a decisive advantage of nearly 30 seconds by the finish line. Gemechu Dida followed in second place with a personal best of 2:03:19, and Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay rounded out the podium in 2:03:59.