Ethiopia: Tigist Ketema wins Dubai Marathon in fastest debut ever

Tigist Ketema   -  
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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.

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