Elite women's press conference

Ahead of the 45th edition of the London Marathon, Tigst Assefa, Sifan Hassan and Joyciline Jepkosgei talk about their hopes for Marathon Day.  

Assefa is the two-time BMW Berlin Marathon champion and her personal best of 2:11:53, set when winning in Berlin in 2023, was a then-world record and is now the second-fastest time by a female marathon runner in history. In 2024, she finished second at the Paris Olympic Games marathon in 2:16:23. She was the silver medallist behind Sifan Hassan.  

On her hopes for the 2025 TCS London Marathon: 

“I’m very happy to be back in London. I’ve trained very well for this race. I really want to be the champion. Whenever I race, I want to win, so I’ve got just as much motivation to win this year as in any race. 

“I did a half marathon in December, which was a test really, but my preparation for this race has been very good – and I would say I’m in better shape than I was in Berlin two years ago [when she set the then-world record].” 

On what she loves about racing in London: 

“The London Marathon is a big, big marathon, and there are lots of reasons why I like to run here. Partly because there are great athletes taking part, and there’s a great atmosphere, and also to win here means so much, so there are lots of reasons I’m really happy to be here.”

A former world record holder over the half-marathon distance, Jepkosgei made a seamless step up to the marathon by winning the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon and the 2021 London Marathon, where she set a new PB of 2:17:43. She returned to London in 2022 and finished in second place behind Yalemzerf Yehualaw and then completed a hat-trick of podium finishes in London by finishing third in 2024, setting a new PB of 2:16:24 in the process. 

On her hopes for the 2025 TCS London Marathon: 

“It’s a great opportunity again to come here again to London. After winning in 2021 I am happy and grateful to be here today. 

“It’s a great opportunity to run with my colleagues. Last year at the London Marathon we had a nice competition, with most of the athletes then going to run well in the Olympics, so it’s great to have the opportunity to run here again.  

“And also, I’ve now realised that the marathon is like a book: every year, you open it and it’s like a new chapter. I have opened it, and I know now I am a marathon runner. I learn at each and every race; I always learn something new.” 
 
On her preparations ahead of Sunday:  

“I ran the Barcelona Half Marathon as test for the London Marathon and I have confidence that my fitness is in a good way. If the weather and my body are OK, I’ll do the best. It’s two months since Barcelona, when I ran well, so I feel confident that my preparation has been ok.”  

On the world-class field she’ll face on Sunday: 

“I love racing against great fields in London. You prepare to face champions, the competition is tough, so mentally you know that everything will be tough. But when everyone is on the Start Line, we all have different plans – someone might want to run the world record, another person might want to run a personal best, another wants simply to finish, to reach that Finish Line, so everyone is different and has different plans, but everyone is the best.” 

A superstar and global medallist on the track, Hassan stepped up to the marathon distance in stunning fashion in 2023 when she won both the TCS London Marathon and Bank of America Chicago Marathon. She elevated her illustrious career to even greater heights in 2024 when she won the Paris Olympic Games marathon in a new Olympic record of 2:22:55.  

On how she is feeling ahead of the 2025 TCS London Marathon: 

“Thank you to everybody and thank you to London Marathon who invited me here. When you started talking about two years ago, I am nervous, you know. For marathon, I don’t know why but I still get nervous. It is not like 1,500 [metres] where three minutes-something and you’re done, you have to go for two hours.  
 
“It is very great, but I also had a lot of drama [winning in 2023], London is a great memory for me that I can never forget about. I have Olympic gold, but London is still just something I can’t forget; it is amazing. 

“Better than two years ago? I am never going to do better than two years ago! That is not going to happen.  

“I have worked really hard and am in good shape and I hope to do something better, but I don’t want any drama!” 

On her memories of the dramatic race in 2023 when she battled through injury to secure a stunning win on her marathon debut: 

“I don’t remember anything except all the things I was thinking about – I had conversations to myself. Before the race I was throwing up, the second is I remember around 11 to 13K I had some pain issues and I remember I started stretching and then thought, ‘Let me try a couple of metres.’ The biggest I remember is the last 5K I was celebrating already! When I think about it, I feel like I am watching some drama for two hours.” 

On what marathon running has taught her: 

“One thing I learned is I didn’t know I had so much patience, the marathon has taught me to have patience. I also find out I have focus; marathon is two hours of focusing and I’ve learned from that.  
 
“The other thing I’ve learned is every marathon is different. He already asked, ‘Did she lie? [reporter’s question to Jepkosgei about Hassan being nervous], no, every marathon is different! You are going to freak and feel bad about every marathon.  

“I did Chicago, it is totally different, I did Paris, totally different, I did Tokyo, London, every marathon is just like she said [Jepkosgei], a new chapter. When I did Tokyo, I thought I had London spirit, I had Chicago spirit, but for Tokyo after 21K I was like this is troubling. Every time you have something different. London, the [last] 5K very good, in Chicago I was suffering the last 5K. It is not like the track – like 10K, 1,500 metres, 5K – every marathon is different.” 

On what makes the London Marathon so special: 

“To me, whenever I think of London, they always bring amazing runners. Whenever I think of London, I feel like I am racing the Olympics. At the Olympics and London, we’re all together, we know each other, it’s the same people. London always brings great people, they just don’t only bring one person.  
 
“It is very exciting to race but also to watch. I always used to watch London Marathon, even when I was in the USA, I’d wake up at 3am to watch it. Yesterday, I was looking at the men and thinking I wish wasn’t racing, I wish I could watch them! London is very great – I wish every major marathon would bring such great people, so it is exciting, because it’s good for the sport.” 

On her plans after running in London: 

“After this I am going back to track. I miss the track. I don’t [see myself] only doing marathon, or only doing track. Whenever I do track, I miss the marathon. I am really addicted to the long run, I love the long run, but I also love the sprint. 

“When I run track, I want to be good at that, so they can’t say: ‘Oh, she has gone to marathon, it is bad.’ I want to do the marathon plan, but also be good at track.”