Ethiopia: Tigist Ketema wins Dubai Marathon in fastest debut ever

Ethiopia's Tigist Ketema broke the world record for fastest marathon debut with victory in the women's race in Dubai on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Ketema won the Dubai Marathon in 2:16:07 in her first-ever race at the distance.

Her time was the eighth fastest by a woman in marathon history, smashing the Dubai course record by one-minute and one-second.

The previous women's record was held by Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, who won the Valencia Marathon in 2-hours ,16-minutes and 49-seconds in her debut at the distance on December 4th, 2022.

Ketema was the African Under-20 Championships winner at 800 metres before she moved to marathon.

Addisu Gobena won the men's title in 2:05:01 to give Ethiopia a sweep of both the men's and women's elite races.