Thrilling Victory for Tigst Assefa at the London Marathon

Tigst Assefa from Ethiopia harnessed the advantage of warm weather to claim her first London Marathon victory on Sunday, setting a new women’s-only marathon record.

Assefa, who previously finished second in London and at last year’s Paris Olympics, distanced herself from Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final stages, clocking in at 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds. This race was the fastest solo female marathon ever but fell 25 seconds short of Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 mixed-race record.

The previous women’s-only record of 2:16:16 was set by Peres Jepchirchir at last year’s London Marathon. Meanwhile, Ruth Chepng’etich of Kenya holds the overall women’s world record with her time of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon.

In the men’s race, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe triumphed in his major marathon debut, completing the course in 2:02:27, marking the pinnacle of his career.

This year’s London Marathon faced notably warmer conditions compared to 2024, with temperatures reaching 64 degrees by the time elite runners finished. Assefa noted the favorable weather worked to her benefit.

“Last year, the cold caused issues for me, tightening my hamstring towards the race’s end,” Assefa, 28, explained through an interpreter. “This year, the climate was perfect, and I’m thrilled with my performance. Winning after coming second last year feels extraordinary.”

In contrast to Paris, Assefa ensured there was no dramatic sprint finish, leaving Jepkosgei behind with just a few kilometers to go, powering alone past the Thames and through central London to the iconic finish at Buckingham Palace.

Though she narrowly missed Olympic gold in a sprint, Assefa claimed her decision to break away wasn’t premeditated.

“I trained for every possibility,” she revealed. “Whether it was a sprint finish or a long run, my focus was on thorough preparation, and that strategy paid off.”

Joyciline Jepkosgei, a 2021 London victor, followed nearly three minutes later at 2:18:44, with Olympic champion Sifan Hassan clocking 2:19:00 for third.

“The humidity sapped my energy,” Jepkosgei admitted. “I decided to conserve my strength to ensure a safe finish.”

Post-Olympics, Hassan took a four-month break and felt she wasn’t yet at her peak performance, struggling with breathing during the first half, especially when drinking water.

“Competition is what I need,” Hassan stated. “Seven months without it, and it seems my body forgot how to exert itself.”

In the men’s race, Sawe, 29, made a decisive move 10 kilometers from the finish, never faltering under the sun. Breaking from a nine-man pack 90 minutes in, he took advantage when the others paused for water.

“I was thoroughly prepared, which made winning feel effortless,” Sawe reflected.

Jacob Kiplimo, debuting in the marathon, was the closest contender, finishing 70 seconds behind in second. Last year’s champion, Alexander Mutiso Munyao, secured third in a photo finish against Abdi Nageeye, timing 2:04:20.

Sawe’s sole prior marathon win was in Valencia in 2024, and he’s now the fourth Kenyan to consecutively win London’s men’s race.

It was a Swiss triumph in the wheelchair division, with Marcel Hug claiming his sixth title in 1:25:25 and Catherine Debrunner taking her third women’s title in four years at 1:34:18, narrowly missing her own world record by two seconds.

Trailing Debrunner was American Susannah Scaroni in second, and Swiss Manuela Schar taking third.

Hug finished 44 seconds ahead of Tomoki Suzuki from Japan, while Jetze Plat from the Netherlands took third. Britain’s David Weir, an eight-time London champion, finished sixth.

A record-breaking 56,000 runners were anticipated to traverse the 26.2-mile course, beginning at Greenwich Park, coursing along the Thames, and concluding on The Mall.