Ethiopian runner Tigist Assefa set a new world record at the Berlin Marathon.
The 26-year-old athlete covered a distance of 42.2 km in 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 secondswhich is a new world record for women.
— I wanted to break the world marathon record, but I couldn’t imagine that it would lead to a result of less than 2 hours and 12 minutes. I'm very happy, — said the athlete.
Assefa broke the previous record set by Kenyan Bridget Kosgei in 2019 by 2 minutes 11 seconds.
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She covered half the distance in 1:06 :20, which allowed her to beat the world record by more than a minute. But in the second segment she was even faster.
The amazing thing is that this is only her second marathon in her career. She ran her first last year in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), showing a “modest” time 2:34:01.
German Christine Begemann took second place at the Berlin Marathon 2023, and Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui took third place .
The winner of the marathon in the men's race was Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who ran the distance in 2:02.42. His compatriot Vincent Kipkemoi finished second, and third — Ethiopian Tadese Takele.
At the beginning of the Berlin Marathon, climate activists ran onto the route and tried to block the road in front of its participants. They were detained and taken away by the police. However, the protesters left puddles of orange paint on the asphalt, into which some athletes stepped.
