Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa aims to further reduce the women's marathon world record to under two hours and 10 minutes, but admits her only goal at Sunday's London Marathon is to win.
Achieving that time sounds like a monumental ambition, but the 27-year-old is clearly confident after running 2:11:53 in Berlin last September. This time beat the previous record of 2:14:04 set by Brigid Kosgei in 2019.
“Breaking the world record in Berlin gave me a lot of encouragement and confidence,” she said. “And I feel like I can achieve even bigger things. I want to be in this sport for a long time and I want to break world records. So in the future I'd like to break 2 hours and 10 minutes. ”
But when asked if she was chasing fast times in London, she was more cautious. “My goal is to win,” she replied. Assefa also has the Paris Olympics marathon coming up in four months, and given that she remains the overwhelming favorite to win, Assefa won't be going full throttle heading into Sunday's race. My feeling is that it is.
But she will be up against some great athletes, including Ruth Chepgetic, the fourth fastest woman in history with a time of 2:14:18, reigning Olympic champion Peres Czepchirchir, and 2022 London champion Yaremzav Yewalau. Become.
Assefa told the Guardian he ran 110 to 124 miles a week and trained at the gym four times a week. “I think my secret is the way I approach training and my hard work,” she said.
She also confirmed that she will be wearing Adidas' world record-breaking supershoes, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, in Berlin on Sunday.
40% lighter than previous models, the shoe was seen as another step forward in the technology wars. However, it has sparked controversy considering it costs £450 and only lasts one race.
“I really like those shoes,” she said. “What's really special is how light it is. And that's where I think we can get an added advantage.”
