Tigist Ketema wins Dubai Marathon on debut and shatters course record

DUBAI (Agencies): 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. 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 eighth fastest woman in marathon history. She also smashed the Dubai course record, improving the mark by 61 seconds.  It was also a dream debut for Gobena, 19, who took the advice of his aunt Aga – the women’s runner-up on Sunday – to take up long-distance running two years ago. Having started as a javelin thrower, Gobena trained with the two-time Dubai marathon runner-up to discover his potential. “I think I made the right decision,” Gobena said. “My aunt taking second spot for the second time made it a great day for the family back home. Whatever I achieved today was for Aunt Ruti. “For me, it’s also the best possible start to the New Year. Having had the first taste of a marathon win, I’ll work harder to take this momentum forward. I’m still young and learning, and hopeful of better things to come, if I stay healthy.”