Assefa sets women's only record to win London Marathon women's race after late breakaway

LONDON — Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia took advantage of the warm weather to pull away late for her first London Marathon title on Sunday, setting a record time for a women's-only race in the process.

Assefa made up for second-place finishes in London and the Paris Olympics last year by pulling away from Joyciline Jepkosgei near the end to finish in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds. It was the fastest ever time in a women's-only marathon — but 25 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.

Peres Jepchirchir had set the previous women's only record of 2:16:16 when she won in London last year ahead of Assefa. Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya set the overall women's world record of 2:09:56 at last year's Chicago Marathon — beating a previous mark held by Assefa.

The weather in London was a lot warmer this year than in 2024 — with temperatures nearing 18 C (64F) by the time the elite runners were finishing — which Assefa said was to her advantage.

''Last year I did have some problems with the cold, my hamstring tightened up toward the end of the race," Assefa said through an interpreter. ''This year the weather suited me really well.''

Assefa adds this win to two previous Berlin Marathon titles.

She was beaten in a sprint at the Paris Olympics by Sifan Hassan last year. This time she made sure there would be no sprint finish as she left Jepkosgei behind with a few kilometers left and ran alone along the Thames and through central London to the finish in front of Buckingham Palace.

''I really wanted to win today. And after Paris, where I finished second again, I really have trained hard,'' Assefa said. ''So this preparation has been over eight months. And obviously I'm very happy it has paid off.''

Even though she lost the Olympic gold medal in a sprint, she said her move with a few miles left was not planned ahead of time.

''I was really training for all outcomes,'' she said. ''I felt I could win with a sprint, I could also win with a long run from home. The main thing was just to prepare well, and that's what I did.''

Jepkosgei, the 2021 London winner, was almost three minutes back after tiring near the end.

''It was a little bit humid," Jepkosgei said. ''My body was not responding well. And I said, let's preserve my energy to arrive safely at the finish line.''

Hassan fell behind about halfway through the race and finished third, 3:10 behind.

Hassan took a four-month break after the Olympics and said she still isn't back to her best form. She also said she struggled to breathe every time she took a drink during the first half of the race.

''I think I need some competition,'' Hassan said. ''Seven months, no competition, I think my body forgot how to push.''

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men's race for his biggest career victory after making a solo breakaway with about 10 kilometers left.

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