LONDON – Tigst Assefa from Ethiopia made history at the 45th London Marathon on Sunday, shattering the women’s-only world record with an incredible performance, while Sebastian Sawe of Kenya made a brilliant tactical move to claim victory in the men’s race.
The 28-year-old Assefa, who had earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, pulled ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final couple of kilometres after a scorching early pace. Assefa crossed the finish line in 2:15:50, smashing the previous record of 2:16:16, set last year by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
Assefa attributed her success to the warm London weather, saying, “This year, the weather suited me really well, and that’s why I’m really pleased with the way the race went.” Last year, Assefa struggled with a hamstring issue that impacted her race, but this time, the conditions worked to her advantage. Jepkosgei, 31, finished second in 2:18:44, while Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who was aiming for a third consecutive London victory, took third place in 2:19:00 after fading in the second half of the race.
Meanwhile, in the men’s race, Sebastian Sawe, who made an impressive marathon debut by winning Valencia in December, executed a flawless tactical decision. As others in the lead pack reached for bottles to hydrate around the 10-kilometre mark, Sawe surged ahead, never to be caught, crossing the finish line in 2:02:27.
“I’m so happy. This is my first time to win a major marathon, I was well prepared for this race, and that’s why it has become easy for me to win,” said Sawe. His victory also gave him hope for a successful future in marathon racing.
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who set the world half-marathon record earlier this year, took second place in 2:03:37, with Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya and Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands finishing third in a dramatic photo finish, both clocking 2:04:20.
Eliud Kipchoge, the four-time Olympic champion, finished sixth, while Alex Yee, Britain’s Olympic triathlon champion, made an impressive marathon debut, finishing 14th in 2:18:27.
In the wheelchair events, Marcel Hug from Switzerland claimed his sixth London Marathon title with a time of 1:25:25, while Catherine Debrunner, also from Switzerland, secured her third women’s title in four years, crossing the finish line in 1:34:18, just two seconds shy of her own world record.
A record 56,000 runners took part in this year’s marathon, which began at Greenwich Park, wound along the River Thames, and ended at The Mall. Among the notable finishers was Eilish McColgan, who set a Scottish record of 2:24:25 in her marathon debut, finishing eighth.
