Tigst Assefa is set to undergo surgery on Monday after suffering a tendon injury during the closing stages of her Berlin Marathon victory, according to her manager.
Gianni Demadonna told Pura Vida Sports Africa that a tendon in the Ethiopian’s right leg was “broken” and that she had travelled to Munich for an operation with renowned foot and ankle surgeon Dr Johannes Gabel.
Asked about a return to competition, Demadonna said it could take “maybe six months”.
Still a course record
The news explains the painful final two kilometres of Sunday’s race.
Assefa was still ten seconds inside world-record pace at 40km, but her stride deteriorated sharply as she approached the finish. She crossed the line in 2:11:04 before collapsing and receiving medical attention.
That was 68 seconds outside Ruth Chepngetich’s world record of 2:09:56, yet it was still a Berlin course record and an improvement of 49 seconds on Assefa’s previous best, set when she broke the world record on the same course in 2023.
‘The pain is hard to imagine’
Race director Mark Milde told the BBC: “To finish like this, I’ve never seen something like this. The pain is hard to imagine.”
He described watching her set a course record “with a heavy heart” because her performance could have produced a new world best.
