Addis Ababa, September 27, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopian athletes Tigst Assefa and Guye Adola swept the elite titles at the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, with Tigst delivering a record-breaking performance in the women’s race and Guye reclaiming the men’s crown.
Tigst won in 2:11:04, setting a new Berlin Marathon course record and a personal best by 49 seconds. The victory marked her third Berlin title and further strengthened her remarkable association with the German capital.
The Ethiopian star launched an extraordinary challenge for the women’s world record of 2:09:56. She passed 5km in 15:30 and 10km in 30:48 before reaching halfway in 1:04:57, one of the fastest halfway splits ever recorded in a women’s marathon.
Tigst maintained her remarkable pace through 30km, reached in 1:32:15, and continued to threaten the world record. At 40km, she was still projected to finish in 2:09:44.
The world-record bid ultimately slipped away in the closing stages as Tigst began running with a pronounced limp and her pace dropped. With a commanding lead over the field, however, she held on to cross the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate in 2:11:04.
Her performance made her the third-fastest woman in marathon history and improved on the 2:11:53 world record she set in Berlin in 2023.
Ethiopia completed a one-two-three finish in the women’s race, with Bedatu Hirpa taking second in 2:16:53 and Dera Dida third in 2:16:55. Bekelech Gudeta and Alemitu Tariku followed in fourth and fifth.
In the men’s race, Guye reclaimed the Berlin Marathon crown in a personal-best 2:02:50, five years after securing his first victory in the German capital.
The leading group remained closely packed through the first half, reached in 1:01:01. Guye moved to the front by 30km before making his decisive move over the next five kilometres, opening a nine-second gap on fellow Ethiopian Gemechu Dida Diriba.
Guye continued to build his advantage through the closing kilometres and crossed the line in 2:02:50. The victory improved his previous personal best of 2:03:46, set on his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017.
Gemechu finished second in 2:03:19, while Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay took third in 2:03:59. Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla and Selemon Barega finished fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Asefa Boki, Andamlak Belihu and Shura Kitata in sixth, seventh and eighth.
The performances marked another memorable chapter in Ethiopia’s rich Berlin Marathon tradition, with Tigst extending her remarkable record on the course and Guye returning to the top of the podium.