Disappointing outing for Kenya as Ethiopia’s Guye Adola wins 2026 Berlin Marathon

Ethiopia produced a memorable double at the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, 2026, with Guye Adola winning the men’s race and Tigst Assefa claiming the women’s title in a spectacular performance.

Adola crossed the finish line in 2:02:51, edging a strong Ethiopian field to secure his second Berlin Marathon victory. Gemechu Dida Diriba finished second in 2:03:19, while Tanzania’s Gabriel Gerald Geay completed the podium in 2:03:59.

The victory marked another significant chapter in Adola’s Berlin career. The 35-year-old Ethiopian had previously won the race in 2021 and returned to the German capital this year after entering the competition with a personal best of 2:03:46.

Adola’s victory came in a race that had been left wide open following the withdrawal of defending champion and world-record holder Sabastian Sawe because of injury. Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele was also initially expected to feature but later withdrew with an Achilles’ problem.

Assefa dominates women’s race

Assefa delivered the headline performance in the women’s race, winning in 2:11:04, a personal best.

The Ethiopian Olympic and world silver medallist returned to Berlin with high expectations after winning the London Marathon earlier this year in 2:15:41, a women-only world record at the time.

In Berlin, Assefa went much closer to the overall women’s marathon world record. She remained on record pace deep into the race and passed the 40km mark with the possibility of challenging Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 world record in sight.

However, she slowed during the closing stages and eventually finished in 2:11:04. Despite missing the world record, the performance was enough to secure victory and improve on her previous Berlin personal best of 2:11:53.

The result also underlined Assefa’s remarkable relationship with Berlin. She had won the race in 2022 in 2:15:37 before returning a year later to set the then-world record of 2:11:53.

The 2026 race was the 52nd edition of the Berlin Marathon, with more than 56,000 participants expected across the event.

Strong African showing

Africa dominated the elite podiums in Berlin.

Ethiopia occupied the top two positions in the men’s race through Adola and Dida Diriba, while Tanzania’s Geay took third. The men’s top five also included Ethiopians Getaneh Molla and Selemon Barega.

The result continued Berlin’s long association with African distance running. The race has regularly produced some of the fastest marathon performances in history, including previous world records from athletes such as Eliud Kipchoge and Assefa.

Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru, who entered the race as defending champion after winning in 2:21:05 in 2025, was among the leading contenders in the women’s field.

Other winners

The wheelchair and inline skating competitions also provided major highlights during the Berlin Marathon weekend.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:23:28, while Belgium’s Bart Swings claimed the men’s inline skating title in 57:30.

Swings’ victory was particularly notable as it marked his 10th Berlin inline skating victory. Colombia’s Keily Delgado won the women’s inline skating race in 1:12:55 after a close sprint finish.

2026 Berlin Marathon elite results

Men

Guye Adola (Ethiopia) – 2:02:51

Gemechu Dida Diriba (Ethiopia) – 2:03:19

Gabriel Geay (Tanzania) – 2:03:59

Getaneh Molla (Ethiopia) – 2:04:55

Selemon Barega (Ethiopia) – 2:04:59

Women

Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) – 2:11:04

The Berlin Marathon ended with Ethiopia celebrating victories in both elite races, while Assefa’s aggressive assault on the world record provided one of the biggest talking points of the 2026 marathon season.

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