She has just won the Berlin Marathon for the second time. Ethiopian Tigst Assefa has gone from a first-round elimination at the 2016 Games to a recent change of discipline. Her inspiration has enabled her to break a world record and improve her running time by 23 minutes in the space of a year and a half. Simply exceptional!
Tigst Assefa, winner of the Berlin Marathon
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Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa (26) has left an indelible mark on marathon history.The Ethiopian has won the Berlin Marathon for a second time. Sunday's victory was accompanied by a world record time of 2'11"53 for the 42 km.
Tigst Assefa continues to amaze the world. Why should this be? Last year's victory was already the second marathon of his career. What makes her performance even more remarkable, even extraordinary, is that seven years ago, the Ethiopian was an 800-meter runner with a very good level. As proof, she ran 1''59''24 in 2014. This gave her the right to take part in the Olympics. Unfortunately, she was eliminated in the 1st round.
The transition to marathon running
Then came her moult and she was right to do so.Due to an Achilles tendon injury, she reportedly abandoned the track and switched to road events. She began with the 10 kilometers, clocking 34'35 in Dubai.
After that, the woman who had discovered her talents in marathon running gradually evolved. She took the step up to the half-marathon with the Valencia race in 2018. Ella completed the race with a time of 1''08''24.Her next step is the 42.195 km. This in March 2022, in Riyadh. For her baptism of fire, she achieved a time of 2''34''01. Her trademark is overtaking, and she went on to claim her first victory in Berlin last year, with a time of 2''15''37. Her progress is no longer a surprise.What we're wondering now is how far the runner will go?Maybe the Olympic title, if she's selected.
🎯 Qu’on ne se trompe pas – c’est la performance de l’année sur marathon ! En courant le #BerlinMarathon en 2H11’53 – Assefa TIGST (🇪🇹) marque l’histoire à jamais. Elle efface le record du monde de + 2 minutes et son RP de pratiquement 4 minutes. À peine croyable comme chrono ! pic.twitter.com/Dh0Ewdfnwb
— RUN’IX (@RUN_IX) September 24, 2023
Assefa obliterates Kosgei
With her victory on Sunday, she improved Brigid Kosgei's (Kenya, 2''14''04) record by over a minute, becoming the 1st woman to run under 2''12''00 over the 42 kilometers.
"I didn't expect to run so fast, i.e. in 2 hours 12 minutes, but it's the result of a lot of hard work", said Assefa after the race.
Finally, looking ahead to the Paris Olympics and her possible participation, she added: "As far as being one of the favourites for next year's Olympic marathon is concerned, it's up to the National Committee to select me for the team. Why should Ethiopia deprive itself of its best medal chances?
