Adola wins men's Berlin Marathon, Assefa misses record

Ethiopia's Guye Adola won the men's event at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, while compatriot Tigst Assefa was victorious in the women's race but failed to set a world record in a dramatic finish, reported dpa.

Assefa was comfortably en course to beat the record Ruth Chepng'etich's of 2 hours 9 minutes 56 seconds from the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Chepng'etich is currently serving a doping ban.

But with some four kilometres left, she was visibly in great distress due to a tendon injury.

After limping to the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate in 2:11:04 hours, the third-best time in women's marathon history, she immediately went down in pain.

Assefa has previously won the Berlin Marathon in 2022 and 2023, when she set the world record at the time of 2:11:53 hours.

She has now improved that mark and set a new track record, but was absent from the medal ceremony and the post-race news conference. According to organizers, she was taken to hospital for examination.

Assefa led an all-Ethiopian podium and was followed by Bedatu Hirpa and Dera Dida.

Compatriot Adola, meanwhile, repeated his success from 2021, finishing the men's race in Berlin in 2:02:50 hours.

Gemechu Dida, also from Ethiopia was second, and Tanzania's Gabriel Geay was third.

Sabastian Sawe, who won the Berlin Marathon last year, didn't compete due to injury.

Haftom Welday was the best German finisher, clocking in 2:08:25 hours. Anna Langerwisch was the fastest German woman, setting a new personal best of 2:27:31 hours.

According to organizers, around 84,000 people from 162 countries participated in this year's race.

Some 1,800 police officers were deployed for the event to direct traffic and ensure security, the Berlin police said.