
This year saw an end to the Kenyan decade of dominance of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Women’s Series as Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase took the crown and rounded off her fine year of running. It was Gebreslase’s consistency throughout the year that made the difference. She recorded third-place finishes in Tokyo and New York City and became World Champion with victory in Oregon that boosted her to the top of the series leaderboard.

With the emergence of Tigist Assefa, who broke the course record in Berlin, and Yalemzerf Yeuhalaw who conquered London, Gebreslase faces fierce competitors in women’s marathon running who have all proven their ability to deliver on the biggest stage.