Ethiopian · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · Born 3 December 1996Marathon world record holder (2:11:53, Berlin 2023).
Tigst Assefa Tessema was born on 3 December 1996 in Holeta, Oromia, Ethiopia, and began her career as an 800 metres specialist, winning bronze at the 2013 African Junior Championships and representing Ethiopia in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics at just 19. Assefa switched to road racing in 2018 and ran her first marathon in March 2022 in Riyadh, before winning the Berlin Marathon later that year in a course-record time, quickly establishing herself among the sport's elite distance runners. Assefa delivered a historic performance at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, shattering the women's world record by more than two minutes with a time of 2:11:53, sinking to her knees in celebration after crossing the line nearly six minutes ahead of the field. Assefa added a second world record at the 2025 London Marathon with a women's-only mark of 2:15:50, and has continued to dominate the world's major marathons, winning four World Marathon Majors titles across Berlin and London and taking Olympic silver at the 2024 Paris Games.
Marathon
How They Played
Explosive finishing kick, tactical racing approach
Lasting Impact
Revolutionized women's marathon with dramatic time improvements
Career Honours
- Marathon WR 2023
- 2024 Olympic marathon silver
Ethiopian Athletes