London, April 27, 2025: Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, winning the women’s London Marathon in a world record time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds, avenging her runner-up finish from last year.
The 28-year-old left her rivals trailing, finishing comfortably ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, while Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands claimed third place.
From the very start, Assefa, Jepkosgei, and Hassan formed the leading pack, setting a blistering pace aimed at a projected finish of 2 hours and 12 minutes — faster than Hassan’s personal best. However, Hassan, who had gained 10 kilograms after a four-month break following her gold medal win in Paris, began to fall behind early on, losing contact with the lead group before briefly rejoining.
Despite her efforts, Hassan couldn’t maintain the aggressive tempo and was once again dropped before the halfway point at Tower Bridge, leaving Assefa and Jepkosgei to battle at the front alongside the final pacemaker.
Although Hassan tried to keep the leaders within striking distance, her form visibly deteriorated, and the gap widened steadily. By the 30km mark, Hassan was over a minute adrift, while Assefa and Jepkosgei continued to share the workload at the front.
After the pacemaker exited the race, Assefa surged ahead just past the two-hour mark, pulling decisively away from a fading Jepkosgei. With extraordinary strength in the closing stages, Assefa extended her lead to more than a minute by the 40km mark.
Applauded by fellow runners and the crowd, Hassan maintained her third-place position comfortably despite falling well behind the two frontrunners.
Assefa’s commanding victory not only earned her the prestigious London title but also rewrote the history books, marking a defining moment in her already remarkable career.
