World record holder Tigst Aseffa aims to set a new women’s-only best time

Addis Ababa, April 19, 2024 (FBC) – Tigst Assefa is looking to add another world record to her name when she chases victory in a star-studded women’s elite race at the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, 21 April.

The Ethiopian sent shock waves through the marathon running world when she smashed minutes from the women’s outright world record in the German capital last September, clocking the previously unthinkable time of 2:11:53 to retain the Berlin Marathon crown.

Just seven months’ later, the former 800m runner makes her London debut with her sights set firmly on lowering the women-only world mark of 2:17:01 run by the brilliant Kenyan Mary Keitany on this course seven years ago.

“I’ve trained very well, just as I did for Berlin,” said the composed and confident 27-year-old on Thursday. “We’ll see how well on Sunday, but I’m sure I can beat the record, as I’m sure many of my competitors can too.

“I am very happy to be in London for the first time and very excited. My training has gone really well and I feel ready for the race.”

She will have to be, for Assefa faces one of the most talented fields of female distance runners ever assembled, one containing three of the top four fastest women in history and seven who have run under 2:17:30.

Assefa may be the favourite, but with only three marathons behind her she is a relative newcomer over 26.2 miles next to some of her rivals. Indeed, her rise has been nothing short of spectacular since she burst onto the global marathon scene less than two years ago running a stunning Ethiopian record of 2:15:37 in Berlin.

While that performance raised eyebrows, what she did 12 months later on the same flat, fast course was draw-dropping, as Assefa completed the classic distance more than two minutes quicker than any other woman in history.

Whether she can be as dominant on London’s more technical terrain remains to be seen, not that Assefa seems to have any doubts.

“Whether it’s London or Berlin, it’s the same for me,” she said. “I won’t change my strategy. I’m here to win.”

“In the future I want to run under two hours and ten minutes,” Assefa said speaking on her future aims via Athletics Weekly. “If I can do the training that will allow me to do that, then that will be the key factor. I really think I’m capable, God willing, of going under that mark.”

“I’m really excited about taking part in London. I had intended to do the marathon here last year but I was injured. That’s made me even more determined this time round.”

Among those hoping to disrupt her relentless rhythm will be the Kenyan duo Brigid Kosgei and Ruth Chepngetich, who sit third and fourth on the all-time list behind Dutch dynamo Sifan Hassan, and their compatriot Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic champion who was third here last year.

The elite men’s race is headlined by reigning TCS New York City Marathon champion Tamirat Tola (ETH), the seventh-fastest man in history Mosinet Geremew (ETH, 2:02:55) and Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) who was runner-up at the 2023 Valencia Marathon in a time of 2:03:11.

Also confirmed is the 2023 TCS London Marathon runner-up Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN), and multiple world champion on the track – and the third-fastest marathoner in history – Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) who set a new world record in the masters category at the 2023 Valencia Marathon when he ran 2:04:19 aged 41.