Tigst Assefa has come close to the world marathon record, but in the final stretch her hopes faded. The Ethiopian athlete began to lose speed in the last kilometres and crossed the finish line visibly limping.
At first the footage suggested cramps. However, after the finish, the director of the Berlin Marathon confirmed that Assefa had suffered a partial rupture of the Achilles tendon in her right leg.
Pese a la lesión, Assefa logró terminar en 2:16:05, mejor marca personal, aunque muy lejos del ritmo que llevaba hasta ese momento. Sus últimos 2,195 kilómetros los recorrió a 3:41 min/km, frente a los 3:06 min/km que había mantenido hasta entonces.
Ruth Chepngetich’s world record still stands, after the Kenyan was sanctioned for doping and stripped of her results from the period following the infringement.
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Dylan Holloway
I’ve always been fascinated by the stories hidden behind a stopwatch, a finish line or a record-breaking performance. At Athletics News, I cover athletes, competitions and the moments shaping track and field, with a particular interest in the people and journeys behind the results.