Ethiopia’s long-distance runner Tigst Assefa has broken the women’s world marathon record as she won the Berlin race in Germany on Sunday. 

The 26-year-old crossed the line in two hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds, a new world record time, to successfully defend the title she won last year.

She took more than two minutes off the previous record set by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei in Chicago in 2019. The two-time world champion had only started running a marathon in April last year after she migrated from 800m:

“I am very happy,” she said. “I wanted to break the marathon world record, but I couldn’t imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12.”

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s marathon race – the Keyan crossed the finish line at 2:02:42 to win a record fifth Berlin marathon race.

In the previous edition, the 38-year-old broke the men’s world marathon record after he ran a time of 2:01:09 in Berlin last year.

“I was expecting to do the same [break the record], but it did not come; that’s how sport is,” he said. “Every race is a learning lesson.

“I’ll put all my experience of my 21 marathons into next year in the Olympics in Paris and try to be the first to win for the third time, but I would also be happy with the podium.”