Ethiopian marathon runner Tigst Assefa, who recently obliterated the women's world record in Berlin, has said that following an injury four years ago she was told that her athletics career was effectively over.
Assefa stunned the running world last Sunday by taking more than two minutes off the previous world record, clocking two hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds.
But in 2019 things were not looking up.
She got a bad Achilles tendon injury in that year's Valencia half-marathon and was rushed to hospital.
Medics in both in Spain and Italy - where she was later treated - concluded she "had minimal chance to get back to sport", she told the BBC.
She disagreed with that assessment and so did her coach at the time.
With the support of her family and friends she fought hard to come back.
"I did not give up. I told myself I will get back and make history," she said in an interview with BBC Afaan Oromoo.
"I will never forget my injury. But at the same time it had helped me to work hard. I could not have seen this day if it were not for the injury," she added.
"I am a fiercely competitive. I don’t like to lose."
She also revealed that she is now aiming to cross the line in under two hours and 10 minutes.
She said hard work has taught her to think big.
"It could be broken [again] with better training. This is because [in Berlin] I was not tired. I had energy," she said
Her coach Gemedu Dedefo says given the support they need, women can do better.
