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At the 2026 Berlin Marathon, Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa won in 2:11:04, breaking her own course record and posting the third-fastest time in women's marathon history. According to her team, she tore her right Achilles tendon at about the 40-kilometer mark but still ran the final two kilometers to reach the Brandenburg Gate, collapsing after the finish. Her agent, Gianni Demadonna, told AFP on Monday that she had successfully undergone surgery for the torn Achilles and is expected to be out for at least seven months. Later reports said she had been on track to reclaim the women's marathon world record but was injured late in the race and ultimately limped to the finish; some reports described her world-record bid as falling short just 2 kilometers from the finish, while others said her world-record attempt ended because of the Achilles injury. In the same race, 35-year-old Guye Adola won the men's title.
Tigst Assefa won Sunday’s Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04, the third-fastest women’s marathon ever, but her team said her right Achilles ruptured near 40K and she still covered the final two kilometers to the Brandenburg Gate. She had surgery the next morning.
LetsRun rounds up three track and field developments: Tigst Assefa's 2:11 world record attempt ended with an Achilles injury, Jane Hedengren suffered a rare loss, and Josh Kerr ran 2:12.66 in a 1,000m time trial. The original provides only a summary, with no further details.
Tigst Assefa's world record run was derailed by an Achilles injury just 2 kilometers from the finish, but the future remains bright for the Berlin Marathon.
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa collapsed after breaking her own course record at the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04. Her manager, Gianni Demadonna, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday that she had successfully undergone surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.
In Berlin, Tigst Assefa was well on her way to reclaiming her marathon world record before a late-race injury forced her to limp home in 2:11:04. Should the clean women's WR actually be under 2:10? (Statistically speaking, the answer is no). Plus 35-year-old Guye Adola won the men's race while #2 New Mexico's 27-year-old freshman helped the Lobos take down #1 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Plus former teen phenom Jane Hedengren, who turned 20 last week, gets beat and current teen phenom Sam Ruthe goes to altitude.