In her first marathon, Ethiopian runner Tigist Ketema set a record by clocking the quickest debut marathon time ever, winning the Dubai Marathon. According to World Athletics, this achievement means she is eighth on the world all-time list and is quite remarkable given that she had never raced farther than 10km before. The young athlete, who is now the third-fastest Ethiopian at the distance, ran 800 meters in 2:02.00, 1500 meters in 4:00.91, and 3,000 meters in 8:43.91, as reported by Runner’s World. According to Africa News, Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey held the previous women’s record, winning the Valencia Marathon in 2:16:49 in her debut at the distance on December 4, 2022. Before turning her attention to the marathon, Ketema won the 800-meter African Under-20 Championships.

Source: Ethiopian News January 11, 2024 16:27 UTC