Berlin, Sept. 27 -- Tigst Assefa and Guye Adola secured an Ethiopian double at the 52nd Berlin Marathon on Sunday, with Assefa winning the women's race in a course-record 2 hours, 11 minutes, 4 seconds after her world-record bid unraveled in the closing stages.
The 29-year-old had targeted Ruth Chepngetich's world record of 2:09:56, set by the Kenyan in Chicago in 2024, and remained on pace to challenge the mark until late in the race.
Supported by several pacemakers, Assefa quickly pulled clear of her rivals and built a commanding advantage. Although she started more cautiously than Chepngetich had during her record run, the Ethiopian maintained a strong pace through the second half and was still inside world-record pace at the 40-kilome...