During assefa

World Athletics: World Athletics, the governing body of international track and field competitions, has ratified Ethiopian star Tigist Assefa’s women's marathon world record of 2:11:53 set in Berlin last year.

The Ethiopian smashed the previous mark by more than two minutes at the Berlin Marathon on September 24, 2023, becoming the first woman to run inside 2:13 and 2:12, and erasing the world record of 2:14:04 that had been set by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei in Chicago on October 13, 2019.

During Assefa’s record-breaking run, a large pack of the leading contenders ran together through the early stages, passing through 5km in 15:58. 13 women were still in contact with the lead as they reached 10km in 31:45, the World Athletics informed in a statement on Thursday.