In her first race over 26.2 miles, the Ethiopian goes No.2 all-time on women’s world rankings behind Ruth Chepngetich’s controversial 2:09:56.
Fotyen Tesfay’s 2:10:53 on her marathon debut in Barcelona on Sunday (March 15) puts the Ethiopian No.2 on the world all-time women’s marathon rankings. Only Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 from Chicago in 2024 is quicker, although the Kenya’s world record is marred by the fact she received a three-year drugs ban last October.
Some might now regard Tesfay as the de facto world record-holder. On the flipside, Chepngetich’s otherworldly sub-2:10 performance followed by the revelation that she took the banned substance hydrochlorothiazide, means fans will be sceptical of anything that approaches her record.
Tesfay went through halfway in 65:05 before surging ahead to win by eight minutes.
“Today was fantastic – not what I was expecting, but it is good,” she said. “My plan was to attack the world record but today there was a lot of wind, 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.”
Tesfay, 28, was fourth in the World Under-20 Championships over 3000m in 2016 and is a former winner of the Great Ethiopian Run, an event that has often acted as a springboard to the international stage.
In 2023 she ran an eye-catching 63:21 at the Valencia Half Marathon to go No.4 on the world all-time rankings.
The following year she was seventh in the Olympic 10,000m final, just over three seconds behind the winner Beatrice Chebet.
Then, in 2025, she ran 63:35 to win the Berlin Half Marathon and placed eighth in the world 10,000m final in Tokyo.
Now, Tesfay has finished 57 seconds outside Chepngetich’s world record and she also smashed the Barcelona course record of 2:19:33, set by Sharon Chelimo in 2025.
Kenya’s Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo finished second in a 2:18:42, while Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer was third in 2:18:49.
Abel Chelangat of Uganda won the men’s race in 2:04:57 from Patrick Mosin and Jonathan Korir of Kenya.