Tigst Assefa: "I wouldn't have seen this day without my injury"

Tigst Assefa is the new queen of the marathon. The Ethiopian is now the world record holder over the distance. She won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday 24 September, covering the 42.195 km in 2:11:53. Yet this feat might never have happened. The 26-year-old could well have given up competing. In 2019, she suffered an Achilles tendon injury at the Valencia half marathon. After that, doctors in Spain and Italy raised doubts about whether she could return to competition.

Even so, Tigst Assefa refused to accept that diagnosis. The Ethiopian persevered and nursed her ankle back to health. And we all know what happened next. "I didn't give up. I told myself I would come back and make history. I will never forget my injury. But at the same time, it helped me to work hard. I wouldn't have seen this day without my injury. I am a fierce competitor. I don't like losing," she told the BBC.

Now that the marathon record is in the bag, there is no question of Tigst Assefa stopping there. The next aim could be to improve her time. "It could be broken (again) with better training. That's because in Berlin I wasn't tired. I had energy."

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