Tigist Ketema wins Dubai Marathon on debut and shatters course record

Tigist Ketema made her marathon debut in Dubai a momentous one by becoming the fastest woman in the race's 23-year history on Sunday.

Women’s race:
1. Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2hrs 16min 7sec
2. Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:09
3. Dera Dida (ETH) 2:19:29
Men's race:
1. Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:01
2. Lemi Dumicha (ETH) 2:05:20
3. DejeneMegersa (ETH) 2:05:42

She clocked in at two hours, 16 minutes, and seven seconds to establish a new course record over the 42.195-kilometre distance and secure a memorable win.

Ketema was followed home by Ruti Aga, the runner-up last year, in 2:18:09, and defending champion Dera Dida (2:19:29) for an Ethiopian sweep of the women’s podium.

The Ethiopians also swept the men’s race, with Addisu Gobena crossing the finish line in 2:05:09, ahead of Lemi Dumicha (2:05:20) and Dejene Megersa (2:05:42).

For Ketema, 25, it was a surprise result as she initially had reservations about shifting her focus to the marathon; Ketema has spent much of her career as a middle-distance runner, and in 2016 was Ethiopian national champion over 800m.

“I was quite afraid of the distance before I ran my first marathon but now, I wonder why,” she said after receiving the trophy from Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.

“I came here as one of the hopefuls but I didn’t really expect to win. Obviously, I’m delighted and am now looking forward to more marathon races with such a wonderful start to the year.

“I’m not sure where I’ll be heading next but right now I’m going to cherish and celebrate my first marathon win, take a short break, and then back to training for the next race.”

Running on Dubai’s super flat course around some iconic locations, Ketema marked her first-ever marathon by becoming the