Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia has won the Berlin Marathon in a personal best time of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 17 seconds on Sunday.

Compatriot Tigist Ketema won the women’s race in an as-yet unofficial time of 2:16:42.

The 24-year-old Mengesha finished strongly ahead of Kenyans Cybrian Kotut and Stephen Kiprop in the 50th edition of the race. Haymanot Alew of Ethiopia was fourth position.

Conditions were perfect on a sunny and crisp autumn day in the German capital.

It was the first Berlin Marathon without either Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele since 2014.

A record number of 58,212 runners from 161 nations registered to run on the course where more world records – 13 – were set than any other. Another record was not expected this soon after the top stars raced at the 2024 Paris Olympics last month in France.