Tigst Assefa Has Surgery After Complete Right Achilles Rupture

Her team says a staged rehabilitation could keep her out of marathon racing for about seven months.

Overview

Assefa was on world‑record pace deep into the Berlin Marathon on Sunday when she began feeling pain at about 31 kilometers and started to limp in the final two kilometers.
She still crossed the line in 2:11:04, which set a new Berlin course record and gave her a third Berlin win before she collapsed in pain at the finish.
Her manager, Gianni Demadonna, confirmed that the right Achilles suffered a complete rupture and that she underwent complex surgery on Monday in the Munich/Murnau area.
Demadonna outlined a staged recovery that starts with roughly two months without walking, then about a month of walking and cycling, and a gradual return to running that could lead to a marathon return in about seven months if healing goes well.
Assefa entered Berlin in peak form after winning London earlier in 2026, so the injury not only ends this record bid but also clouds her 2027 race plans and the broader chase to lower the women’s marathon record.