Tigst Assefa facts for kids

Tigst on her way to the world record at the 2023 Berlin Marathon
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Full name	Tigst Assefa Tessema
Born	(1996-12-03) 3 December 1996 (age 29) Holeta Oromia, Ethiopia
Height	1.67 m
Spouse(s)	Eyob Elias
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long-distance running
Coached by	Gemedu Dedefo
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1st (Marathon, 2023)
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:59.24 (Lausanne 2014) Marathon: 2:11:53 NR (Berlin 2023)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Ethiopia Olympic Games Silver 2024 Paris Marathon World Championships Silver 2025 Tokyo Marathon World Marathon Majors Gold 2022 Berlin Marathon Gold 2023 Berlin Marathon Gold 2025 London Marathon Gold 2026 London Marathon Silver 2024 London Marathon African Junior Championships Silver 2013 Bambous 4x400 m relay Bronze 2013 Bambous 800 m

Tigst Assefa Tessema (born on December 3, 1996) is an amazing long-distance runner from Ethiopia. She holds the current world record for women in the marathon race. Tigst has won four major marathon events, including two in Berlin and two in London.

She started her career as an 800-meter runner. In 2018, Tigst switched to road races. She ran her very first marathon in 2022. At just 16 years old, she won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2013 African Junior Athletics Championships. She also competed for Ethiopia in the 2016 Rio Olympics when she was 19. Tigst ran the third-fastest female marathon ever at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. Then, at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, she broke the world record by a huge 2 minutes and 11 seconds! Her time was 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds. This made her the first woman to run a marathon faster than 2 hours 14 minutes, 2 hours 13 minutes, and 2 hours 12 minutes. Her world record was later surpassed by Ruth Chepng'etich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. However, Ruth's record was removed due to rule violations, meaning Tigst Assefa's time remains the official world record.

Tigst Assefa: A Running Star

Tigst Assefa's journey in running began at a young age. She has shown incredible talent and determination throughout her career.

Early Career and Track Success

Tigst (in yellow shirt) at a race in Reims, France in 2013

When Tigst was 12, she won a bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2009 Ethiopian Athletics Championships. She finished the race in 56.70 seconds. Her first international race was in France in 2012, where she tried the 800 metres. That same year, at 15, she represented Ethiopia in the 400 meters at the 2012 African Championships in Athletics in Benin. She set a new personal best time of 54.05 seconds.

After 2012, Tigst focused on the 800-meter race. In 2013, at 16, she became the Ethiopian junior champion. She also achieved a personal best of 2:01.25 in Switzerland. Tigst won a bronze medal at the 2013 African Junior Athletics Championships in Mauritius. She also helped her team win a silver medal in the 4 × 400-meter relay there. The next year, she ran her fastest 800 meters ever, 1:59.24, in Switzerland. She also placed fourth at the 2014 African Championships in Athletics in Morocco.

In 2016, at 19, Tigst competed in the 800 meters at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the United States. She also ran at the Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. She did not advance past the first rounds in either event.

Switching to Road Races

After 2016, Tigst stopped racing on the track. An Achilles tendon injury made it hard for her to train in spikes. After a two-year break, in November 2018, she started racing on the roads. The 21-year-old ran a 10-kilometer race in Dubai, finishing in 34:35. The next year, she improved her 10K time to 31:45 in Germany. She also ran her first half marathon in Spain, finishing fifth in 68:24.

Marathon Debut and Record-Breaking Runs

Tigst's move to marathons brought her incredible success.

Berlin Marathon 2022: A Big Leap

In March 2022, after a two-year break due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, Tigst ran her first full marathon. She competed at the Riyadh Marathon in Saudi Arabia. She finished seventh with a time of 2:34:01. She then won three 10K races and two half marathons. She set new personal bests of 30:52 for 10K and 67:28 for the half marathon.

In September 2022, Tigst ran the 2022 Berlin Marathon. She achieved the third-fastest female marathon time in history! She finished in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 37 seconds. This was a huge improvement of over 18 minutes from her previous best. She ran the second half of the race faster than the first, which is called a negative split. She won the race by more than two minutes and set a new Ethiopian record.

Berlin Marathon 2023: World Record Breaker

On September 24, 2023, Tigst returned to the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Wearing special super shoes, she set a new female world record! Her amazing time was 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds. She cut two minutes and eleven seconds off the previous record. This made Tigst the first woman to break the 2:14, 2:13, and 2:12 barriers in a marathon. She ran the first half of the race in 66:20. She then ran the second half even faster, in 65:33. She had help from a male pacemaker for most of the race.

This was the first time an Ethiopian woman broke the marathon world record. Tigst's time was even faster than the old men's world record set by her countryman Abebe Bikila in 1964. Her time would have been the men's world record until December 1967. She received a World Athlete of the Year award for her incredible achievement.

Olympic Games and London Marathon Wins

Tigst continued to achieve great things in major races.

Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon

On August 11, 2024, Tigst earned a silver medal in the marathon at the Paris Olympic Games. She finished with a time of 2:22:58. She was just 3 seconds behind the winner, Sifan Hassan. During the final sprint, there was a moment where Tigst and Sifan Hassan came very close, causing both to briefly lose balance. Sifan Hassan then managed to pull ahead and win. The Ethiopian team filed a protest, but it was not accepted. Tigst later said she did not expect the incident and wondered if she would have won gold without it.

London Marathon Victories

Tigst has also had great success at the London Marathon. On April 27, 2025, she won the 45th London Marathon. She claimed the gold medal and the Chris Brasher Sporting Life Trophy. She continued her winning streak by securing another gold medal at the 2026 London Marathon on April 26, 2026. She also earned a silver medal at the 2024 London Marathon.

Tigst Assefa's Running Achievements

Tigst Assefa has achieved many impressive results in her running career.

Best Times (Personal Bests)

Major Competitions

Representing  Ethiopia

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2012	African Championships	Porto-Novo, Benin	19th (sf)	400 m	55.58
			7th	4 × 400 m relay	3:41.10
2013	African Junior Championships	Réduit, Mauritius	3rd	800 m	2:05.6h
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:42.2h
2014	African Championships	Marrakesh, Morocco	4th	800 m	2:00.43
	Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	4th	800 m	2:00.57
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	12th (h)	800 m i	2:04.55
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	20th (h)	800 m	2:00.21 SB
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	2nd	Marathon	2:22:58
2025	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	2nd	Marathon	2:24:45
World Marathon Majors
2022	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	1st	Marathon	2:15:37 CR NR
2023	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	1st	Marathon	2:11:53 CR WR
2024	London Marathon	London, England	2nd	Marathon	2:16:23
2025	London Marathon	London, England	1st	Marathon	2:15:50
2026	London Marathon	London, England	1st	Marathon	2:15:41

See also

In Spanish: Tigst Assefa para niños