By Elias Makori, Managing Editor
Ethiopian marathon star Tigist Assefa underwent emergency surgery on Monday morning (September 28) to repair a broken right tendon following an injury she picked on the way to winning Sunday’s BMW Berlin Marathon in course record time.
The 29-year-old ran the third-fastest marathon of all time by a female athlete in Berlin on Sunday, clocking two hours, 11 minutes and four seconds, falling just 68 seconds short of the world record 2:09:56 held by Kenyan Ruth Chepng’etich.
Assefa previously held the world record at 2:11:53 and had Chepng’etich’s mark in her crosshairs with about two kilometres to go when disaster struck, almost knocking her out of the race.
But the Ethiopian star spectacularly held on to still beat the Berlin course record, improving it from the 2:11:53 she held when breaking the world record in the German political capital in 2023.
Her Italian manager Gianni Demadonna told Pura Vida Sports Africa exclusively on Monday that Assefa went under the respected Dr. Johannes Gabel’s scalpel at the BG Unfallklinik Murnau (Murnau Trauma Centre) near Munich where she was flown to on Sunday from Berlin.
AGONY IN VICTORY: Ethiopian distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie (left) helps a devastated Tigist Assefa away from the finish line after she collapsed upon winning Sunday’s BMW Berlin Marathon. Assefa was flown to Munich immediately after the race for emergency corrective surgery which was done Monday morning. (Photo / BMW Berlin Marathon / Victah Sailer)
The Murnau Trauma Centre specializes in the acute care and rehabilitation of severely injured and occupationally ill people, and is located in the Bavarian District of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, some 89.4 kilometres from Munich.
Asked whether the surgery had been successful, Demadonna said he was waiting to get feedback from the doctor. "We don't know (how surgery went)... the doctor is still conducting another surgery and Tigist is under anesthesia in the resting room," Demadonna updated.
The manager had on Sunday confirmed that post-surgery recovery and rehabilitation could take Assefa at least six months before she can compete again, meaning she could recover in time for the Beijing World Championships in September next year, at the very earliest.
“The right tendon is broken… she will undergo surgery tomorrow (Monday) in Munich with full assistance from Adidas and with Dr. Johannes Gabel, one of the best surgeons in Germany,” Assefa’s manager, Gianni Demadonna, had exclusively told Pura Vida Sports Africa on Sunday evening. “It (recovery) will take long… maybe six months before we can see her in competition again.”
Meanwhile, Athletics Kenya and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya have today sent messages of goodwill to Assefa, wishing her a quick recovery.
“Tigist is not just an Ethiopian heroine, but a true African star. We stand in solidarity with her and wish her a speedy recovery, looking forward to seeing her racing again,” Barnaba Korir, NOC-K’s Deputy President and also head of Youth Development at Athletics Kenya, said.
More details to follow…
Tigist Assefa was flown from Berlin to Munich on a private jet immediately after Sunday's BMW Berlin Marathon for the emergency surgery with support from her sponsors Adidas and manager Gianni Demadonna. (Photo / Courtesy)
