Tigist Assefa Smashes Women-only World Marathon Record

Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa smashed the women-only world record by 26 seconds at the TCS London Marathon, running 2:15:50 to win the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (27).

On a warm and sunny day, the Olympic silver medallist kicked away from Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei to clinch her first London Marathon win after finishing second to Peres Jepchirchir last year.

Jepchirchir’s winning mark of 2:16:16 a year ago had also been a women-only world record and that is the mark Assefa improved, finishing strongly to win by almost three minutes ahead of Jepkosgei (2:18:44). Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was third (2:19:00).

The men’s race was won by Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe in a dominant 2:02:27 – the second-fastest ever London Marathon time. World half marathon record-holder Jacob Kiplimo was second on his marathon debut, setting a Ugandan record of 2:03:37, and defending champion Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya was third in 2:04:20. The top eight finished inside 2:07.

Given the strength of the field, the women-only world record was always the target. With that in mind, the lead group of Jepkosgei, Assefa, Hassan and Megertu Alemu followed the pacemakers through 5km in a blistering 15:34 – not only inside the targeted 2:15 pace, but on sub-2:12 rhythm.

The quartet maintained that pace through 10km, hitting that mark in 31:16. Hassan dropped back a little after the water station but rejoined the leaders and they all reached 15km in 47:11.

A significant gap opened up after 15km and while Hassan rallied, she was five seconds back at 20km – a deficit that would only increase. Assefa and Jepchirchir broke away by the halfway point, which they passed in 1:06:40, 10 seconds ahead of Hassan. Alemu was running in fourth place, two and a half minutes behind the leaders, but she dropped out before reaching 25km.

The final remaining pacemaker left the race at 25km and it was down to Assefa and Jepkosgei. Hassan was 26 seconds back, with Haven Hailu Desse, Stella Chesang and Vivian Cheruiyot following a further three minutes behind.

The leading pair continued to move away from the rest of the field and after 35km was reached in 1:52:12, Assefa made a break. After miles of 5:26, 5:26 and 5:28, a 5:03 24th mile made the difference and by 40km Assefa was 56 seconds ahead.

She finished hard to stride over the finish line in 2:15:50 – the third-fastest marathon of her career behind the 2:11:53 she ran to win in Berlin in 2023, a mark that at the time was a world record for a women’s marathon in a mixed race, and her 2:15:37 also from Berlin in 2022.

Jepkosgei, the 2021 London Marathon champion, worked hard to hold on to the runner-up spot and finished 2:54 behind Assefa. Hassan, who claimed a dramatic London marathon victory on her debut at the distance in 2023 and who pipped Assefa to the Olympic title in Paris last year, was a further 16 seconds behind them.

Desse, the 2023 Osaka Women’s Marathon champion, finished fourth in a PB of 2:19:17 and 2018 London Marathon champion Cheruiyot was fifth in 2:22:32, 10 seconds ahead of Chesang. Italy’s Sofiia Yaremchuk was seventh in a national record of 2:23:14, while Great Britain’s Commonwealth 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan ran 2:24:25 on her marathon debut for eighth place.

“When I crossed the line I felt extreme happiness – I was very, very happy to win the race here,” said Assefa.

Asked about her race strategy, she added: “I was training for all outcomes. I felt I could win with a sprint; I could also win with a long run from home. The main thing was to prepare well, and that’s what I did.”

Sawe storms to second successive marathon win

World half marathon champion Sawe secured a second successive marathon victory in five months, following his 2:02:05 debut win in Valencia in December with triumph in London in 2:02:27. Only one other athlete – the late world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum who ran 2:01:25 in 2023 – has ever gone quicker in the London Marathon.

Sabastian Sawe wins the London Marathon (© Getty Images).

A group of 12 featuring all the leading contenders in a high-quality field started at the targeted 2:01-2:02 pace, reaching the 5km mark in 14:25 led by Ethiopia’s Berlin Marathon champion Milkesa Mengesha and Kenya’s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge.

Ten athletes were together in that lead group through 10km in 28:57. Only one of the three pacemakers remained at 15km, reached in 43:36, with Mengesha following the pacemaker and Kiplimo running at the back of the pack, looking comfortable.

By 20km it seemed that a tactical race was on the cards. Germany’s Amanal Petros, who had been due to run with the chase group, pushed the pace and led the pack through halfway in 1:01:30.

Sawe soon took control and the group was down to nine by 25km, Kenya’s Tokyo Marathon runner-up Timothy Kiplagat dropping from the pack. Sawe and his compatriot Hillary Kipkoech, who had been 26 seconds behind the leaders at 25km, led the field at 30km – a point they passed in 1:27:47. Four-time London Marathon champion Kipchoge was unable to stay with the leaders and a group of eight began to move away.

Feeling good, Sawe made a decisive break. Choosing not to take his drink at 30km, he kicked away and it was a move than none of his rivals could cover.

His surge included a 4:18 20th mile and after a 5km split of 13:56 he reached 35km in 1:41:43 – 22 seconds ahead of Kiplimo and 37 seconds ahead of Mengesha and Kipkoech.

Untroubled, Sawe completed his solo run to the finish line, passing 20km in 1:56:03 with a 46-second advantage before breaking the tape in 2:02:27 to win by 70 seconds. He ran an impressive negative split of 60:57 after passing the half marathon mark in 61:30.

Kiplimo was also safe in second place and he completed a successful debut in 2:03:37, while Munyao clinched third place, finishing in 2:04:20 and pipping Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and New York City Marathon champion Abdi Nageeye in a sprint finish, Nageeye improving his Dutch marathon record. Olympic champion Tamirat Tola was fifth in 2:04:42, while Kipchoge (2:05:25), Kipkoech (2:06:05) and Petros (2:06:30) all also broke 2:07.

Mahamed Mahamed was the top British finisher, running 2:08:52 for eighth place, while Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee clocked 2:11:08 on his marathon debut.

“I was very confident because I came in well prepared,” said Sawe. “That got me through today.”