LONDON: Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in winning the 45th London Marathon on Sunday, while Kenyan Sebastian Sawe made a brilliant tactical decision to demolish a stacked men’s field en route to victory.

The 28-year-old Assefa, silver medallist in the event at last year’s Paris Olympics, pulled away from Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya over the final couple of kilometres after the two had set a blistering early pace.

She crossed the finish line in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous women’s-only record of 2:16:16 set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, and said the blazing London sun helped, with temperatures approaching 20 degrees Celsius by race’s end.

“Last year, I did have some problems with the cold,” said Assefa, who was second in the 2024 London race. “My hamstring tightened up towards the end of the race. This year, the weather suited me really well, and that’s why I’m really pleased with the way the race went.”

Jepkosgei, 31, crossed second in 2:18:44.

The sizzling early pace was too much for reigning Olympic marathon champion and 2024 London winner Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who fell back off the leaders around the halfway mark en route to finishing third in 2:19:00.

The 29-year-old Sawe, who made a stunning marathon debut by winning in Valencia in December, pulled away from the lead pack when the others reached for bottles to refuel with about 10 kilometres to go, on his way to crossing in 2:02:27.

“So happy, this is my first time to win a major marathon, I was well prepared for this race, and that’s why it has become easy for me to win,” Sawe said. “It does now give me hope that my marathoning future will be so important to me, and it will be so easy to me.”

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who shattered the world half-marathon record in February, was second in his marathon debut in 2:03:37, while last year’s winner Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya was third in a photo finish with Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, both crossing in 2:04:20.

Four-time champion Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth. Britain’s Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee finished a highly creditable 14th on his debut.

It was a Swiss double in the wheelchair events, with Marcel Hug racing to his sixth London marathon title in 1:25:25 and Catherine Debrunner winning her third women’s title in four years in 1:34:18, missing her own world record by two seconds.

A world record 56,000 runners were expected to participate in the 42.195-kilometre race that started at Greenwich Park, snaked along the River Thames before finishing on The Mall.

Eilish McColgan, who set a Scottish record of 2:24:25, also participated and finished eighth in her debut at the distance.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2025