A long recovery process for Tigst Assefa began on Monday in Munich after she successfully underwent surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon she suffered in the closing moments of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday.
In a photo shared by her representatives on social media on Tuesday, Assefa appeared to be in good spirits following the injury that forced her to collapse immediately after winning the race in 2:11:04, after setting out at world record pace.
Assefa was flown to a Munich hospital shortly after.
She will likely face a recovery period of around six months before returning to training.
“I would like to send my warmest greetings to everyone,” Assefa said in a statement shared by Berlin Marathon organizer SCC Events. “My surgery went well. I am overwhelmed by the tremendous support I have received from all over the world. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone for their incredible support and concern.”
In the days leading up to the race, Assefa was clear that she was targeting Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 world record from the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
And for the bulk of Sunday’s race it appeared that the mark would fall. Assefa wasted little time establishing position and bolted ahead of the pack with her pacers and crossed the 5k point at 15:30 – 25 seconds ahead of Rosemary Wanjiru.
By the halfway point at 1:04:57, Assefa was nearly three minutes past Wanjiru, who was joined by Dera Dida, Pascaline Jelagat, Alemitu Tariku, Bedatu Hirpa and Zeineba Yimer as the chase pack caught up.
But that group was simply battling for who would land where in the final two podium spots as Assefa surged.
Late in the race, she was on track to shave between 10-to-15 seconds off of Chepngetich’s time. However, near the 40km point, her pace eased and without the cover of her pacers, Assefa was seen limping noticeably but still roaring through the rest of the course.
Assefa was cautious as she crossed the finish line but immediately collapsed and was helped from the area by distance legend Haile Gebrselassie while grimacing in pain.
Hirpa was second in 2:16:53 while Dida took third in 2:16:55 and Assefa did not join them at the medal ceremony and her 2:11:04 is now the third fastest all-time by a woman.
Later on Sunday, she was seen with a walking boot on her foot and Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden arranged to have her flow to Munich to be evaluated by specialists.
Recovery time is typically six to twelve months after surgery for an Achilles tendon tear, and a partial tear requires four to six months of rehab for daily activities and up to twelve months or a full return to high-intensity sports.
Her representatives at Demadonna Athletics Promotion gave an optimistic update on Tuesday that seemed focused on putting Assefa in the best position to recover and return to racing sometime next year.
“Surgery went well and we hope in few months she can be back in training,” the statement read. “Incredible and amazing to run the last 2km of a marathon with a tendon torn! Tigst show(ed) an amazing courage and resilience to finish the marathon. We wish her to recover well and come back stronger than before!!!”
Meanwhile, Assefa is also keeping a positive attitude about bouncing back in 2027 and eventually pushing to lower her own times.
“I will definitely come back to Berlin, and then I will break the world record,” she said.
