Tigst Assefa จาก Ethiopia จะกลับไปยังสถานที่ที่เธอทำสถิติโลกในปี 2023 เพื่อแข่งขันใน BMW Berlin Marathon ซึ่งเป็นรายการวิ่งถนนระดับ World Athletics Platinum Label ในวันอาทิตย์

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa will return to the scene of her 2023 world record when she competes in the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (27).

The Olympic and world silver medallist ran 2:11:53 in Berlin three years ago, a mark that ranks third on the world all-time list. She aims to improve it, while Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay and Ethiopia’s Guye Adola, Shura Kitata and Getaneh Molla lead a competitive men’s field.

Assefa headlines Berlin’s deepest women’s field, with seven athletes holding PBs below 2:20 and 14 having run under 2:22. Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru returns to defend her title, while Ethiopia’s Dera Dida, Assefa’s training partner, will seek to improve on last year’s runner-up finish.

Assefa is the clear favourite in her first race since winning the TCS London Marathon in April in a women-only world record of 2:15:41.

“I am really looking forward to running on the fast course in Berlin again and hope that I can continue my success story here on Sunday,” she said. “I am very well prepared and want to run a personal best.”

The 29-year-old is targeting a third Berlin victory after winning in 2:15:37 in 2022 and setting the world record in 2023. Since then, she has won two London Marathon titles and claimed silver medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Wanjiru will defend the title she won in 2:21:05 last year in unusually warm conditions. Her PB of 2:16:14 was set in Tokyo in 2024, and she ran 2:24:47 in the Japanese capital earlier this year. She is targeting a sub-2:15 performance.

Dida, the 2019 world cross-country silver medallist, is also aiming to break 2:15. She ran 2:21:08 to finish second in Berlin last year, clocked 2:23:18 in Cape Town in May and set her 2:18:32 PB in Dubai last year.

Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer, Misgane Alemayehu, Bedatu Hirpa and Bekelech Gudeta have all broken 2:20 this year. Yimer ran a PB of 2:18:47 to finish third in Barcelona in March, Hirpa was second in the Osaka Women's Marathon in January, Alemayehu finished runner-up in Paris in April and Gudeta was second in Seoul in March. Yimer was fourth and Dida sixth behind Assefa in Berlin in 2023.

Finland’s Alisa Vainio will contest her seventh marathon within a year, six weeks after winning the European Championships and after racing the Finnish Championships marathon earlier this month. The 28-year-old, fifth in the World Championships marathon just over a year ago, is expected to run in the third women’s group targeting sub-2:20 pace after setting a national record of 2:20:39 in Seville in February. Esther Pfeiffer is targeting a similar pace as she seeks to break the German record of 2:19:19.

The men’s race is open following the withdrawal of world record-holder and 2024 Berlin champion Sabastian Sawe because of injury.

Adola is seeking a second title after winning in 2021. His PB of 2:03:46 was set in Berlin in 2017, and he came close to that mark when winning Rotterdam in 2:03:54 in April. He finished fourth in Berlin last year.

His Ethiopia teammate Kitata won in Seville in February in 2:03:59. Dejene Hailu was third there in a PB of 2:04:15, while Molla, runner-up in the Seoul Marathon in March, will also compete.

Tanzania record-holder Geay is the fastest entrant, courtesy of his 2:03:00 runner-up finish in Valencia in 2022. He was second in the Boston Marathon in 2023 and won in Daegu in 2:08:11 in February.

The field also includes Selemon Barega, the 2021 Olympic 10,000m champion who set a 2:05:00 PB in seventh place at the Tokyo Marathon in March, and Kenya’s Erick Sang, who ran 2:05:34 in Rotterdam.

Aaron Bienenfeld will contest his second marathon after running 2:08:47 in Hamburg in April, the fastest marathon debut by a German athlete.

Leading entries

Women
Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53
Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14
Bedatu Hirpa (ETH) 2:18:27
Dera Dida (ETH) 2:18:32
Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:18:47
Misgane Alemayehu (ETH) 2:19:08
Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:19:39
Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 2:20:33
Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:20:39
Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:20:53
Gadise Mulu (ETH) 2:20:59
Eebbisee Addunyaa (ETH) 2:21:13
Aminet Ahmed (ETH) 2:21:24
Rika Kaseda (JPN) 2:21:55

Men
Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00
Getaneh Molla (ETH) 2:03:34
Guye Adola (ETH) 2:03:46
Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:03:59
Dejene Hailu (ETH) 2:04:15
Erick Sang (KEN) 2:04:30
Selemon Barega (ETH) 2:05:00
Taresa Tolosa (ETH) 2:05:17
Tadu Abate (ETH) 2:05:38
Asefa Boki (ETH) 2:05:40
Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:05:59
Tsubasa Ichiyama (JPN) 2:06:00
Kiyoto Hirabayashi (JPN) 2:06:14
Yuhei Urano (JPN) 2:06:23
Hidekazu Hijikata (JPN) 2:06:26