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The Ethiopian star got over the line in the end, beating Kenya's Cybrian Kotut and Stephen Kiprop, who came second and fourth respectively to take home the 50th Berlin Marathon crown.
Ethiopia's Milkesa Mengesha emerged as the 2024 Berlin Marathon champion following a thrilling showdown that saw him edge out Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut in the final 400 meters of the 50th edition of the event.
Mengesha crossed the finish line in a remarkable 2:03:17, setting a new personal best and narrowly missing out on breaking Eliud Kipchoge's course record of 2:01:09.
Ethiopia's Tadese Takele, who had the fastest personal best coming into the race with a 2:03:24, led a large pack of 14 athletes through the early kilometers. The splits were fast, with the first 5 kilometers clocked at 14:25, putting the runners on a projected 2:01:30 pace—dangerously close to Kipchoge’s world record.
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The group continued its relentless pace, hitting the 10-kilometer mark in 28:50, with a slight thinning of the pack to 12 runners. By 15 kilometers, the runners were still hot on the heels of history, clocking 43:13—just a fraction slower than Kelvin Kiptum's split in his world record run in Chicago.
As the race progressed, the lead group remained tightly packed, hitting the half-marathon mark in an impressive 60:57, right on target for a 2:02 flat finish.
At this point, Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya moved to the front, injecting a blistering 2:47 kilometer split, the fastest of the race so far, in an attempt to break away. Kandie, known for his strength in the half marathon, was being tipped to put together a stellar marathon performance.
However, by the 30-kilometer mark, Kandie’s surge faltered, and he began to fall back after missing his drink station. Though he briefly rallied, his earlier efforts appeared to have taken a toll.
With 10 kilometers to go, the pack whittled down to four—Mengesha, Stephen Kiprop and Cybrian Kotut of Kenya, and Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alew. Alew dropped off by the 40-kilometer mark, leaving it a three-man battle between Mengesha, Kotut, and Kiprop.
Mengesha, who was on course for a new Under-20 world record, showed incredible strength as he made his decisive move with 400 meters left in the race. Kotut, unable to respond, watched as Mengesha powered away to victory, finishing in 2:03:17.
Kotut came in second, just a few seconds behind, while Kiprop claimed fourth on 02:03:37 behind Haymanot Ayew, who came in third on 02:03:31. Mengesha's finishing time was well within the top performances of the year, although the world record remained elusive.
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Beyond the podium finishers, the race saw several personal bests being set. Yohei Ikeda of Japan delivered an impressive late charge, passing pre-race favorite Tadese Takele at the line to claim sixth place. Ikeda was never part of the lead pack but displayed incredible endurance to finish ahead of many top contenders.
Despite falling short of a world record, Mengesha’s win in Berlin confirms his status as one of the rising stars of the marathon world. His performance, along with that of Kotut and Kiprop, keeps the focus on what promises to be an exciting era for distance running.
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