Haile Gebrselassie Assists Injured Tigst Assefa

Haile Gebrselassie stepped in to help a fellow Ethiopian star in distress at the Berlin Marathon. The legendary runner assisted Tigst Assefa from the finish area after she collapsed with a ruptured Achilles tendon just kilometers from a potential world record on September 27, 2026.

Assefa’s dramatic race ended with her sitting down just past the line to remove her shoes. Gebrselassie, the two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder, was on hand to physically help her out of the finish zone. This act of sportsmanship came after Assefa had pushed through severe pain for the final two kilometers, her stride completely broken. She was immediately taken to a Berlin hospital for initial treatment and missed the podium ceremony entirely.

The injury was confirmed as a complete rupture of her right Achilles tendon. Her manager, Gianni Demadonna, stated she underwent surgery the following Monday, September 28, in Munich. The procedure was performed by Dr. Johannes Gabel, a leading foot and ankle surgeon. This serious setback occurred while Assefa was an estimated 10 seconds inside the women’s world record pace after passing the 40-kilometer mark. Despite the injury, she still managed to win the race and set a new Berlin Marathon course record of 2:11:04, the third-fastest women’s marathon time in history.

Race director Mark Milde expressed a mix of awe and sympathy. “We have to bow our heads to this performance,” Milde told reporters. He confirmed the tendon issue and noted the unprecedented nature of her finish. “She was on a world record course for most of the race but then something happened to her tendon. To finish like this, I’ve never seen something like that.” The event was also impacted by the pre-race withdrawal of men’s defending champion and world record holder Sabastian Sawe due to injury.

Even with these high-profile absences and Assefa’s late-race trouble, the 52nd Berlin Marathon produced elite results. The combined winning times of Assefa and men’s champion Guye Adola, who ran 2:02:50, totaled 4:13:54. This made it the second-fastest combined marathon in history, proving Berlin’s continued status as the world’s premier stage for record attempts.

• Key Takeaways:
• Haile Gebrselassie assisted Tigst Assefa after she finished the Berlin Marathon with a ruptured Achilles.
• Assefa won in a course record 2:11:04 but missed the world record due to the injury.
• She underwent surgery in Munich on September 28 for a complete tendon rupture.
• The combined elite race times made this the second-fastest marathon event ever held.