NAIROBI, Kenya, September 27, 2026 – Athletics Kenya’s (AK) director of youth development Barnaba Korir believes the country will rise again to rule the road races after a disappointing day at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday.
Korir admitted Sunday’s performance was disappointing for the country albeit he pointed out that it does not erase the country’s legacy as the birthplace of the world’s best marathoners.
“I understand the disappointment, and we all wanted to see Kenya on the podium. But let’s not forget the years we have won, dominated and carried the Kenyan flag with pride on the world’s biggest stages. Sport is not about winning every race. Today may not have been our day, but one race does not erase our legacy or our talent. Let’s learn, regroup and keep supporting our athletes. Kenya will rise again, and we will continue to rule the roads,” he said, in response to a comment on his Facebook page.
It was a Sunday to forget for Kenya as their traditional rivals, Ethiopia, painted the German capital in red, yellow and green — the colours of their flag — courtesy of a virtuoso performance by their athletes.
In the men’s race, Guye Adola clocked 2:02:50 to win his second Berlin Marathon, while fellow Ethiopian Gemechu Diriba came second in a personal best (PB) of 2:03:19.
Tanzanian Gabriel Geay took the final podium place, clocking 2:03:59 to finish third.
There was more glory for the Eastern African country in the women’s race where Tigst Assefa came within a minute of smashing the world record.
Assefa clocked 2:11:04 — a PB, course record and the third fastest time in women’s marathon — to win the race in what was a clean podium sweep for Ethiopia.
Fellow countrywomen Bedatu Hirpa (2:16:53) and Dera Dida (2:16:55) came second and third respectively.
Commenting on the race, Korir congratulated Assefa for her never-say-die attitude in her pursuit of the world record.
“Tigst Assefa deserves special recognition. She came to Berlin pursuing another world-record performance, but a difficult moment during the race disrupted that ambition. She refused to surrender, regained her rhythm and went on to win in 2:11:04. The record was out of reach, but her determination to finish the job was a powerful reminder of the resilience of our champions,” he said.
Korir added that such superhuman feats by Eastern African athletes go a long way into building momentum and excitement for the 2029 World Championships in Nairobi.
“But Africa’s athletics story is now moving into another chapter.Dakar 2026 and Nairobi 2029 are opportunities to demonstrate that Africa is not only a continent that produces world-class athletes, but one increasingly capable of hosting the world’s biggest sporting events. We must use these opportunities to strengthen our athletes, coaches, officials, infrastructure, sports science, technology and event-management capacity,” he said.
With Berlin done and dusted, Kenya will be looking to atone for their disappointment with better performances at the remaining World Marathon Majors races of the year, including Chicago (October 11) and New York (November 1).
