Press Release - Berlin Marathon - 9/21/23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	
      BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday with fastest ever women's field:

          Tigst Assefa targets course record once more in Berlin

The best elite women's field in its history will line up for the BMW 
BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday. An unprecedented total of seven runners with 
personal bests under 2:20 will be competing, among them the defending 
champion and course record holder Tigst Assefa. Last year the Ethiopian 
carved her express way through the Brandenburg Gate to achieve the 
sensational performance with 2:15:37.

A record number of 47,912 runners from 156 nations have entered the 49th 
edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Germany's most spectacular road race is 
part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) and is also a Platinum 
Label Road Race of World Athletics.

Tigst Assefa's performance at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON last year was a major 
surprise. She improved her best by over 18 minutes and chopped more than 
two and a half minutes off the course record with her time of 2:15:37. "I'm 
delighted to be running again in Berlin. Last year's race proved an 
unexpected success for me. I think I can run even faster on Sunday, a 
further improvement would be a success," said Tigst Assefa. In response to 
the question whether a new course record would mean setting sights on the 
world record of 2:14:04, she was less forthcoming: "Much can happen so I 
cannot say at the moment what would be the halfway split. I want to improve 
my time but I am not thinking about the world record."

A Kenyan rival could also be capable of matching a very fast pace. Sheila 
Chepkirui has a personal best of 2:17:29 going into the race. "My aim is to 
break my personal best. I can imagine going through the first half on 
Sunday in around 68 minutes," said the 32-year-old. Both athletes have an 
extra target in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON and that is the Olympic qualifying 
time. Given the keenness of competition in both Ethiopia and Kenya, the 
kind of times required to secure one of the three Olympic places can be 
super fast.

Two more Ethiopians have world-class credentials in their respective bids 
to break 2:19: Tigist Abayechew, personal best 2:18:03, and Workenesh 
Edesa, best of 2:18:51, are making a return visit to Berlin. A year ago 
they finished third and fourth respectively, combining with Tigst Assefa to 
achieve an unofficial world team record of 6:52:31.

"The women's course record of 2:15:37 is an absolute world-class time. But, 
given the strong field, we hope that this can be broken," said the race 
director Mark Milde.

The elite women's field has breadth as well as depth. Japan's Hitomi Niiya 
has a best of 2:19:24 and could well attack their national record, set 18 
years ago on this very course when the Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi ran 
2:19:12 for victory. Another to note is the Ethiopian Senbere Teferi whose 
best is 2:24:11 and is a world record holder for 5km on the road with 
14:29.

The home contingent also looks strong with the best field of German women 
in the history of the event including five showing personal bests of under 
2:30:00. The Schöneborn twins, Deborah and Rabea, Domenika Mayer, Kristina 
Hendel and Laura Hottenrott have all run within the range of 2:25 to 2:28, 
making the race for possible Olympic places a thrilling one.

Elite Women with Personal Bests

Tigst Assefa          ETH 2:15:37
Sheila Chepkirui      KEN 2:17:29
Tigist Abayechew      ETH 2:18:03
Workenesh Edesa       ETH 2:18:51
Hiwot Gebrekidan      ETH 2:19:10
Hitomi Niiya          JPN 2:19:24
Zeineba Yimer         ETH 2:19:28
Etagegn Woldu         ETH 2:20:03
Gutemi Imana          ETH 2:20:11
Delvine Meringor      ROU 2:20:49
Helen Tola            ETH 2:21:01
Dera Dida             ETH 2:21:11
Fikrte Wereta         ETH 2:22:50
Charlotte Purdue      GBR 2:23:26
Margaret Muriuki      KEN 2:23:52
Senbere Teferi        ETH 2:24:11
Malindi Elmore        CAN 2:24:50
Deborah Schöneborn    GER 2:25:52
Fabienne Schlumpf     SUI 2:26:14
Annie Frisbie         USA 2:26:18
Domenika Mayer        GER 2:26:50
Rabea Schöneborn      GER 2:27:03
Kristina Hendel       GER 2:27:29
Laura Hottenrott      GER 2:28:02
Yevheniya Prokofyeva  UKR 2:28:06
Ursula Sanchez        MEX 2:29:11
Angie Orjuela         COL 2:29:12
Tabea Themann         GER 2:31:54
Jana Soethout         GER 2:34:28
Melina Wolf           GER Debüt

More information is available online at: www.berlin-marathon.com
 
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