Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa set a new world record for a women-only field in the London Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds. Assefa surged ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, the 2021 winner, with 10km remaining and finished 26 seconds faster than the previous record set by Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir in London last year. Jepkosgei secured second place in 2:18:43, while Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands took third.
In the men’s race, Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe, making his marathon debut, triumphed with a time of 2:02:27. Sawe broke away from the pack after 31km, maintaining his lead to win by over a minute. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, making his full marathon debut, finished second in 2:03:37, while Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao took third.
Great Britain’s Mahamed Mahamed finished ninth, and Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee placed 14th in the men’s race. Eilish McColgan, also representing Great Britain, made a strong debut with a Scottish marathon record of 2:24:25, finishing eighth.
In the wheelchair races, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug continued their dominance. Debrunner set a new course record, while Hug claimed his seventh victory in the men’s race.
Assefa’s victory and Sawe’s debut win highlighted the 2025 London Marathon, showcasing incredible performances across both the elite men’s and women’s fields, alongside notable achievements in the wheelchair division.
