Photo: IgorCalzone1 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won the women’s race at the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, 2026. She finished in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds. The time set a new course record and ranks among the fastest women’s marathons ever recorded, according to World Athletics.
Joy for Ethiopia came with hard news soon after. Assefa hurt her right Achilles tendon during the closing stretch. Her manager later confirmed a complete rupture, and she had surgery the next day in Germany.
A Third Berlin Crown
This was Assefa’s third Berlin Marathon title after wins in 2022 and 2023. She cut 49 seconds from her own prior Berlin mark of 2:11:53 from 2023. That earlier time had also stood as the course record until Sunday.
She ran near world-record pace for much of the race. The women’s world record is 2:09:56. World Athletics reported that she reached 40 kilometers in 2:03:00, still projecting a finish near 2:09:44, before she began to limp.
Even so, she held on to win. Ethiopian fans at home and across the diaspora celebrated another deep Berlin run from one of the country’s great marathon champions.
Pain, Finish, and Help at the Line
Manager Gianni Demadonna told Marathon Handbook on Monday, September 28, 2026, that the injury was a complete rupture of the right Achilles. Early race coverage from World Athletics had described a partial tear. Demadonna’s update gave the clearer medical picture after the finish.
Demadonna said Assefa felt pain from about 31 kilometers. The pain turned sharp near 40 kilometers, and the last about 500 meters were terrible. After she crossed the line, she could not walk. Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian marathon legend, helped her from the finish area.
Demadonna said she feels sad about the injury and about missing the world record. The win still stands as a proud moment for Ethiopia on a tough day.
Surgery in Bavaria
Assefa had surgery on Monday, September 28, 2026. Dr. Johannes Gabel performed the operation at BG Unfallklinik Murnau, a hospital south of Munich in Bavaria, Germany.
Recovery will take time. Demadonna said she may spend about two months without walking, then move to walking and cycling, and later to slow running. There is no firm date yet for a return to racing.
An Ethiopian Double in Berlin
Ethiopian strength filled the women’s results. Bedatu Hirpa finished second in 2:16:53. Dera Dida took third in 2:16:55. Bekelech Gudeta was fourth in 2:18:58, and Alemitu Tariku fifth in 2:19:01, according to World Athletics.
In the men’s race, Guye Adola won in 2:02:50, a personal best. It was his second Berlin title after 2021. Gemechu Dida finished second in 2:03:19. Ethiopia claimed both elite titles on the same Berlin morning.
Berlin again showed why Ethiopian marathon runners sit at the center of the world’s biggest races. Assefa’s courage to finish, and Adola’s strong men’s win, gave the green, yellow, and red another day of pride.
How will you remember Tigst Assefa’s brave Berlin win when you think of this race?
