28-year-old Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay has made history. On Sunday, March 15, 2026, she set a second-best record in the women’s marathon, a 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometre) race in 2:10:53.
This was her debut in a competitive marathon event at the Zurich Barcelona Marathon which is a World Athletics Elite Label road race held in Barcelona. The first record was set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich back in 2024 in Chicago who is currently serving a three-year suspension for doping.
Tesfay ended her race eight minutes behind Kenya’s Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo, the runner-up with 2:18:42, while Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer finished in third in the timing of 2:18:49.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she finished in No. 7 and eighth at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 10,000m.
Meanwhile, in the men’s marathon, Ugandan Abel Chelangat won by a time of 2:04:57 edging past Kenyans Patrick Mosion and Jonathan Samanayo Korir.
Tesfay on the win
The Ethiopian women’s marathon racer who was hoping for a much better result is, however, overjoyed to win.
“Today was fantastic — not what I was expecting, but it is good,” she said.
Tesfay, who attempted to make a world record at the race, struggled at the end of the race, which limited her to the second-best record in women’s marathon.
“My plan was to attack the world record, but today there was a lot of wind, and I was not able to push in the last part of the race. Today I did not succeed, but in the next marathon I would like to try for the world record,” she added.
Zurich Barcelona Marathon Results
Women’s Marathon Results
Fotyen Tesfay (Ethiopia) 2:10:51
Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo (Kenya) 2:18:42
Zeineba Yimer (Ethiopia) 2:18:49
Chaltu Chimdesa Kumsa (Ethiopia) 2:23:32
Yalganesh Eskamech Gedefa (Ethiopia) 2:24:05
Men’s Marathon Results
Abel Chelangat (Uganda) 2:04:57
Patrick Mosin (Kenya) 2:05:01
Jonathan Samanayo Korir (Kenya) 2:05:29
Moses Kipngetich Kemei (Kenya) 2:05:53
Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Turkey) 2:06:01
