Rosemary Wanjiru at a previous race/ HANDOUT
After a subpar start to her season, Rosemary Wanjiru will be seeking to rediscover her top gear when she defends her Berlin Marathon crown on September 27. Her title defence faces a stern examination, however, as she squares off against Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, the women’s-only world record holder.
Last year, Wanjiru produced a commanding display to clinch the Berlin title, crossing the finish line in 2:21:05 after holding off Ethiopians Dera Dida (2:21:08) and Azmera Gebru (2:21:29) in a thrilling finish.
While the 31-year-old Kenyan distance star signed off on her 2025 campaign in style, she has endured a sluggish start to her 2026 season. On March 1, Wanjiru lined up at the Tokyo Marathon but faded in the latter stages to finish 11th in 2:24:47. That race was won by Brigid Kosgei in 2:14:29, with Ethiopia’s Bertukan Welde (2:16:36) and Hawi Feysa (2:17:39) completing the podium.
Wanjiru can draw encouragement from her 2025 campaign, which followed a similar trajectory. Last year, she also opened her season below par, placing fifth at the Tokyo Marathon in 2:19:57 and 10th at the Great Manchester Run 10km (33:14) before bouncing back spectacularly to triumph in Berlin.
Despite recent struggles, Wanjiru boasts an impressive marathon resume. She set a personal best of 2:16:14 at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, finishing second behind Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede (2:15:55). She also conquered the streets of Tokyo in 2023, storming to victory in 2:16:28 ahead of Ashete Bekere (2:19:11) and Workenesh Edesa (2:20:13).
Her primary rival, Assefa, enters the race in exceptional form. The Ethiopian boasts a lifetime best of 2:11:53—a former world record set during her 2023 Berlin Marathon victory. She is also a previous Berlin champion from 2022, where she won in 2:15:37.
More recently, Assefa obliterated the women’s-only world record at the London Marathon in April, stopping the clock in 2:15:41. Speaking to race organizers, Assefa revealed that she intends to launch another assault on the world record when she returns to Berlin this year.
