BERLIN, GERMANY, September 29 — A pair of rising Ethiopian stars raced to impressive wins in the 50th running of the BMW Berlin Marathon, the first autumn fixture on the World Marathon Majors circuit. Twenty-six-year-old Tigist Ketema backed up her stunning 2:16:07 January debut in Dubai with her second career win, leaving the field more than 2:00 behind while clocking 2:16:48, the No. 20 all-time women’s performance.
Ketema led an Ethiopian sweep of the women’s podium with Mestawot Fikir finishing 2nd in 2:18:48, and Bosena Mulate 3rd in 2:19:00.
Twenty-four-year-old Milkesa Mengesha prevailed in a far more competitive 4-man tussle to close out a 2:03:17 that made him No. 19 all-time.
Cybrian Kotut was the lone Kenyan to make the podium, finishing 2nd in 2:03:22, good for No. 20 all-time performer — testament to the explosion on the ATL in recent years. Fifteen of the men ahead of Kotut ran their PRs in or after April of ’19.
Ethiopian Haymanot Alewe crossed 3rd in 2:03:31 and Kenyan Stephen Kiprop 4th in 2:03:37 —- all 4 scoring massive 2–4:00 PRs.
Despite its falling in the shadow of the Olympic marathons, Berlin managed to attract deep fields of athletes ready, willing and able to chase history on its fabled course. Perhaps too willing, as a rambunctious pack of 15 racers blitzed the opening 10K in 28:42 (2:01:04 pace).
Kotut, who as it turns out is the youngest brother of Kenyan great Martin Lel (World Ranked No. 1 in ’07), admitted that, “I destroyed my plan as I was supposed to run in the second [61:45 HM] group, but I saw that all my friends had gone with the first (61:15) group, so I decided, let me just go. If it is too much, we will all die together.”
Indeed, it was a bit much as 3 pacers and 11 racers pushed well ahead of targeted pace, crossing hallway in 60:57.
Mengesha welcomed the fast pace, noting, “I had trained well and I knew from the outset that I was feeling quite strong. When the pacemakers got off at kilometer 25, I considered stepping it up but didn’t dare.”
Kibwot Kandie, No. 2 all-time in the half-marathon, was more daring and managed to keep the slowing pace fast enough to trim the lead group to seven at 35K (1:42:14, 2:03:15 pace). Moments later, Kandie himself gave out as his efforts were compromised by a 48-hour visa holdover in the İstanbul airport en route to Berlin.
The slowing pace revived Kotut: “When the pace slowed a bit at 35K and I felt like now everybody is feeling like I am feelin, my confidence came back. I thought I could stay with them and maybe produce some speed at the finish.”
Crossing the 40K mat the lead group was down to 4 with Alewe soon to fall 10m back. Mengesha, Kotut and Kiprop ran together but not side-by-side as they jockeyed for position through a series of turns.
Approaching 41K, Kiprop let go and Kotut moved to the front and lifted his efforts trying to break free. To no avail as Mengesha ran comfortably, just waiting.
“I had been training very hard for this course. I knew that it was very flat and I can run a very fast time,” he said. “I also knew that I had strength on the track and I knew how to exploit it. So, I decided I’ll watch the whole thing and strike at the decisive moment.”
That moment proved to be 800m from home when Mengesha surged to a 10-meter lead that he extended to a 5-second win. The effort lifted the 10th-placer from the Tokyo Olympics 5000 into the top echelon of Ethiopian marathoners.
It was also a great day for Japanese runners led by the 6th-place finish of Yohei Ikeda in 2:05:12, trailing only Kengo Suzuki’s NR.
While not matching the depth of last year’s field chasing Olympic qualifiers, Berlin impressed again netting 4 of history’s fastest 40 performances, along with 10 finishing under 2:06, and 22 under 2:08.
In contrast, Ketema’s victory was very much a one-woman show she backed up her 2:16:07 debut win last January in Dubai, with a wire-to-wire romp.
Ketema lit out from the start zipping the opening 10K in 32:14 and halfway in 1:07:53 with only Azmera Gebru giving chase. Twelve seconds down at the half, Gebru soon faded to a DNF. Ketema extended her lead to more than 2:00 and finished off her second sub-2:17 effort in 10 months.
It seems coach Gemedu Dedefo has latched onto something in the transformation of middle-distance runners into world-leading marathoners. First it was Tigst Assefa who went from Rio 800 Olympian to her stunning 2:11:28 WR.
And now Ketema, who ran PRs of 2:02:00 in ’17, 4:00.91 in ’21, and 8:43.91i in ’23.
BERLIN MEN’S RESULTS
1. Milkesa Mengesha (Eth) 2:03:17 PR (14:25, 14:17 [28:42], 14:31 [43:13], 14:32 [57:45], 14:45 [1:12:30], 14:52 [1:27:22], 14:52 [1:42:14], 14:45 [1:56:59], 6:18) (1:00:57/1:02:20) (€45,000);
2. Cybrian Kotut (Ken) 2:03:22 PR; 3. Haymanot Alewe (Eth) 2:03:31 PR; 4. Stephen Kiprop (Ken) 2:03:37 PR; 5. Hailemariyam Kiros (Eth) 2:04:35 PR; 6. Yohei Ikeda (Jpn) 2:05:12 PR; 7. Tadese Takele (Eth) 2:05:13; 8. Oqbe Kibrom (Eri) 2:05:37 PR; 9. Enock Onchari (Ken) 2:05:53; 10. Derseh Kindie (Eth) 2:05:54;
11. Melaku Belachew (Eth) 2:06:30 PR; 12. Lukas Kiprop (Ken) 2:06:39 PR; 13. Kibiwott Kandie (Ken) 2:06:46; 14. Bazezew Asmare (Eth) 2:06:51; 15. Stanley Kurgat (Ken) 2:07:05 PR; 16. Haimro Alame (Isr) 2:07:10; 17. Sebastian Hendel (Ger) 2:07:33 PR; 18. Philimon Kipchumba (Ken) 2:07:38; 19. Yusuke Tamura (Jpn) 2:07:38 PR; 20. Dejane Megersa (Eth) 2:07:49; 21. Jacob Sommer Simonsen (Den) 2:07:51 NR;… 39. Will Nation (US) 2:13:11 PR;… 43. Edward Mulder (US) 2:15:16 PR;… 50. Jackson Neff (US) 2:16:38 PR.
BERLIN WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Tigist Ketema (Eth) 2:16:42 (16:06, 16:08 [32:14], 16:02 [48:16], 16:07 [1:04:23], 16:18 [1:20:41], 16:18 [1:36:59], 16:14 [1:53:13], 16:11 [2:09:24], 7:18) (1:07:53/1:08:49) (€45,000);
2. Mestawot Fikir (Eth) 2:18:48 PR; 3. Bosena Mulate (Eth) 2:19:00 PR; 4. Aberu Ayana (Eth) 2:20:20 PR; 5. Ai Hosoda (Jpn) 2:20:31 PR; 6. Mizuki Matsuda (Jpn) 2:20:42 PR; 7. Calli Hauger-Thackery (GB) 2:21:24 PR; 8. Yebrqual Melese (Eth) 2:21:39; 9. Fikrte Wereta (Eth) 2:23:23; 10. Meseret Gola (Eth) 2:23:36;
11. Melat Kejeta (Ger) 2:23:40; 12. Lisa Weightman (Aus) 2:24:40; 13. Bekelech Gudeta (Eth) 2:25:19; 14. Alisa Vainio (Fin) 2:25:36 PR; 15. Philippa Bowden (GB) 2:25:47 PR; 16. Pauline Esikon (Ken) 2:26:53 PR; 17. Nora Szabó (Hun) 2:27:31 NR; 18. Melina Wolf (Ger) 2:27:34 PR; 19. Vanessa Wilson (Aus) 2:28:34 PR; 20. Emilie Jacquot-Claude (Fra) 2:32:00;… 23. Kaylee Flanagan (US) 2:34:03 PR;… 32. Neely Spence Gracey (US) 2:37:23;… dnf—Betelihem Afenigus (Eth), Genzebe Dibaba (Eth), Azmera Gebru (Eth).
