Tigst Assefa defends London in 2:15:41, a women-only world record, by 12 seconds
Assefa, Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei all broke 2:16 in the same race for the first time; Obiri ran 2:15:53 on her London debut.
Photograph: Tigst Assefa in the elite women's race at the 2024 London Marathon, by Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsTigst Assefa won the London Marathon on Sunday in 2:15:41, nine seconds faster than the women-only world record she set on the same course last year. Hellen Obiri was second in 2:15:53, a personal best in her first London, and Joyciline Jepkosgei, the 2021 champion, third in 2:15:55. Three women under 2:16 in one race had never happened.
The pace was set from the gun: 5 km in 15:39, 10 km in 31:03, halfway in 1:06:12, thirty seconds faster than Assefa's halfway split a year earlier. Catherine Amanang'ole dropped off before 15 km; Degitu Azimeraw and Eunice Chumba were 41 seconds down at 10 km. The second half slowed and the three leaders ran together until Assefa pulled clear in the final kilometres.
Azimeraw was fourth in 2:19:13 and Amanang'ole fifth in 2:21:20. Eilish McColgan was seventh in 2:24:51, 26 seconds off her best, with Rose Harvey ninth. Uruguay's Julia Paternain ran a national record 2:25:47 in eighth.
Assefa said at the finish: "I screamed when I finished because I knew I was breaking the world record." The record is subject to ratification by World Athletics.
In the men's race an hour earlier Sabastian Sawe had run 1:59:30. Two world records on one London morning, and the women's one was the closer race.
Sources: World Athletics; Wikipedia (results table).
