Tigst Assefa breaks the record for women’s-only races while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe claims his first London Marathon victory.
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa set a new world record for women’s-only races as she triumphed in the 45th London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe executed a strategic plan to conquer a competitive men’s field.
The 28-year-old Assefa, who won a silver medal in last year’s Paris Olympics, surged ahead of Joyciline Jepkosgei from Kenya in the last few kilometers after both had maintained a rapid pace throughout the morning.
She finished the race in an impressive 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds, surpassing the previous women’s-only record of 2:16:16 set by Peres Jepchirchir from Kenya last year in London. Assefa noted that the warm weather, which reached nearly 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) as the race concluded, was beneficial for her.
“Last year, I faced challenges with the cold,” Assefa explained, recalling that her hamstring tightened up towards the end of the race. “This year, the weather was perfect for me, and I’m very happy with my performance.
“Finishing second last year and winning this year is incredibly special to me.”
Jepkosgei, aged 31, took second place with a time of 2:18:44.
The intense early pace proved too demanding for reigning Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands, who fell behind the leaders around the halfway point and finished third in 2:19:00.
Sawe, 29, making a phenomenal debut in marathons by winning in Valencia last December, broke away from the lead group after others paused to grab water with about 10 kilometers remaining, finishing in 2:02:27.
“I’m really delighted; this is my first major marathon victory. I trained well for this race, which made it easier for me to win,” Sawe stated. “This gives me confidence for a successful future in marathons.”
Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda, who set a world record for the half-marathon in February, was second in his marathon debut with a time of 2:03:37, while last year’s champion, Alexander Mutiso Munyao from Kenya, and Abdi Nageeye from the Netherlands, finished third in a close race, both clocking in at 2:04:20.
In the wheelchair events, Switzerland celebrated a double victory, as Marcel Hug secured his sixth London Marathon title with a time of 1:25:25, while Catherine Debrunner claimed her third women’s title in four years with a time of 1:34:18, just two seconds shy of her own world record.
This year’s race saw a record 56,000 runners participate in the 42.195-kilometer course that began at Greenwich Park, wound along the River Thames, and concluded on The Mall.
Among the participants were Britain’s Alex Yee, who won an Olympic gold medal in triathlon last year, finishing 14th in his marathon debut, and Eilish McColgan, who set a Scottish record of 2:24:25, securing eighth place in her first marathon.
