For most of the race she was not only clearly in the lead but was continuously pushing for the women's marathon world record.
Assefa's splits: first 5 km 15:30, 10 km 30:48, half marathon 1:04:57, 30 km 1:32:19. Entering the second half she still maintained a very steady pace; even at 35 km and 37 km the projected finishing time remained under 2:10.
At 40 km Assefa's split was 2:03:00. At that pace, she would break thewomen's marathon world record (2:09:56). In other words, with only 2.195 km remaining to the finish, Assefa still had a chance to break the world record.
The real change occurred after40 km, when Assefa's running form began to visibly lose balance: her right leg could no longer execute the push-off properly, her stride rapidly shortened, and she developed a pronounced limp.Despite this, she did not stop, and continued toward the finish even though her right leg was clearly unable to produce normal power.
In the end,Assefa finished in 2:11:04 and won the women's title. This time not only improved her own Berlin women's course record of 2:11:53 set in 2023 by 49 seconds, and is also the third-fastest time in women's marathon history.
Considering she lost more than a minute in the final 2 km due to the injury, what time she could have achieved without it became one of the post-race talking points.
Post-race right-side tendon rupture
After the race, Assefa did not participate in the podium ceremony and post-race press conference like other winners. The Berlin organisers later confirmed she was taken to hospital for further examination after a sudden injury to her right leg.
Race director Mark Milde said in a post-race interview that Assefa’s problem was tendon-related, and he was astonished that she was able to finish the race despite the injury.
As examinations continued, Assefa’s injury appeared more serious than initially thought. HerHer agent Gianni Demadonna revealed, Assefa "The right tendon is broken… has ruptured the tendon on her right side," and plans to undergo surgery in Munich, Germany.Adidas is also assisting with arrangements, and under current preliminary assessments Assefa may need about six months before returning to competitive racing.
No imaging results have been made public so far, and no medical team has formally confirmed whether it is a complete Achilles tendon rupture.
The Achilles tendon that
changed Assefa’s career.
For Assefa, this injury is particularly noteworthy also becauseher career has been deeply intertwined with Achilles tendon issues.Assefa was not originally a marathoner. Early in her career she specialized in the 800 m and represented Ethiopia at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She possessed the speed of a world-class middle-distance runner, but chronic Achilles tendon problems gradually affected her ability to continue high-intensity track training and racing—especially when training in spikes, when the tendon issues recurred.After running the Valencia Half Marathon in 2019, Assefa’s Achilles condition deteriorated to a very serious degree. She later recalled that after the race she could barely stand and needed crutches to get around, and doctors at one point expressed doubts about whether she could continue a professional athletic career.It was after this period that she gradually abandoned track middle distances and fully shifted to the road and the marathon. That transition proved to be transformative for her career.Assefa’s progression in the marathon was astonishingly rapid. Her first completed marathon was around 2:34, but she improved quickly, winning the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:15:37 while setting a course record. In 2023 she returned to Berlin and lowered her time dramatically to 2:11:53, establishing the women’s marathon world record at the time.Back in Berlin in 2026, Assefa was no longer simply there to win—she was again attacking the women’s marathon world record.Judging by the race itself, that goal was not just pre-race rhetoric. She maintained an average pace close to or even faster than the world record through the first 40 km, until the injury suddenly struck in the final two kilometers.Third Berlin title
could also be a turning point
Therefore, this injury gives Assefa’s 2:11:04 in Berlin a different significance.On one hand, Assefa won the Berlin Marathon for the third time and again set a course record. Across her three Berlin appearances in 2022, 2023 and 2026 she has three wins and three course records.On the other hand, the race may also become another major turning point in her career. With only the final two kilometers separating her from the women's marathon world record, the Achilles tendon problem that has long altered the trajectory of her career resurfaced — and this time it will likely mean surgery and months of recovery.The real uncertainty has shifted from "can Assefa break the women's marathon world record" to whether this injury will affect her athletic capacity?For an athlete who relies on powerful forefoot propulsion, a high cadence and extremely efficient running economy, the Achilles tendon is critical. Even if surgery goes smoothly, returning to normal running, rebuilding structured training, and getting back into competitive racing are wholly different stages.At present Assefa is expected to receive further treatment and surgery in Germany. What we should watch next is:Whether the injury is ultimately confirmed as a full Achilles tendon rupture, the exact surgical details, the postoperative rehabilitation timeline, and whether her future plans will be adjusted as a result?For Assefa, the 2026 Berlin Marathon could originally have been the day she reclaimed the world record; instead it became an important career crossroads in another way. On the results sheet it is still a victory; but considering what lies ahead, the real aftermath of this race may only be beginning.She was born in 1996 and is already 30 years old this year.
