London Marathon: Assefa Shatters Women’s World Record

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered a historic performance at the London Marathon, obliterating the women’s world record in a women’s-only race with a blistering time of 2:15:50. The 28-year-old left no doubt in her dominant victory, slicing 26 seconds off the previous mark set by Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir in 2024.

Assefa, who narrowly missed gold at last year’s London race and the Paris Olympics, took revenge in spectacular fashion. She surged ahead early, maintaining a punishing pace that only Joyciline Jepkosgei could initially match.

Olympic silver medalist Sifan Hassan, who edged Assefa in Paris, faded to third—over three minutes behind the new record-holder.

The men’s race saw Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe continue his meteoric rise, adding London to his Valencia victory with a 2:02:20 finish.

The 29-year-old outpaced Uganda’s rising star Jacob Kiplimo by over a minute in a field featuring marathon legends Eliud Kipchoge and Olympic champion Tamirat Tola.

Swiss wheelchair athletes dominated again—Marcel Hug claimed his seventh London title (fifth consecutive), while Catherine Debrunner won the women’s race so fast (1:34:18) she finished among the top 10 male competitors.

Assefa’s landmark run—nearly a minute faster than her 2023 personal best—signals a new era in women’s marathon racing, proving her heartbreaking near-misses have forged an unstoppable champion.