Tigst Assefa

Tigist Assefa, born on 3 December 1996, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and former world record holder in the women's marathon. Originally an 800 metres specialist, she made a remarkable transition to road racing in 2018 and ran her first marathon in 2022, quickly establishing herself as one of the greatest marathon runners in history.

As a young track athlete, Assefa won bronze in the 800 metres at the 2013 African Junior Championships at the age of 16 and went on to represent Ethiopia at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After switching to the roads, she ran the third-fastest female marathon in history at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. She then shattered the world record by over two minutes at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, clocking 2:11:53 and becoming the first woman to break the 2:14, 2:13, and 2:12 barriers. Her world record has since been surpassed by Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

Assefa has won three top-tier World Marathon Majors, including two victories in Berlin and one in London.