FILE PHOTO: Athletics - Berlin Marathon - Berlin, Germany - September 24, 2023 Gold medallist Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa celebrates on the podium with the trophy after winning the women's Berlin Marathon REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - The world's fastest female marathon runner Tigst Assefa will headline the elite women's race at the London Marathon on April 21 when three of the top four fastest women in history will try to set a women-only world record.
Ethiopia's Assefa ran 2:11.53 at the Berlin Marathon in September, setting the world record for women in a race alongside male runners, and has her sights on Mary Keitany's time of 2:17:01 set in a women-only race at the 2017 London Marathon.
Four other competitors in this year's London event have gone faster than Keitany's mark in mixed races, where they benefit from groups of fast men acting as windbreaks, including Kenya's Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04) and Ruth Chepngetich (2:14:18) as well as Ethiopia's Tigist Ketema (2:16:07) and Almaz Ayana (2:16:22).
"I suspect that with Assefa, Kosgei, Chepngetich and the likes of Peres Jepchirchir and Yalemzerf Yehualaw in the field, Keitany’s world record is going to be under serious threat," race director Hugh Brasher said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kenya's Olympic 2020 gold medallist Jepchirchir, who has a personal best of 2:17:16, finished third in the London Marathon last year.
"A total of 10 women in the field have run under two hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds," Brasher added.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
