Ethiopians dominate Dubai Marathon as Melak and Dessie clinch gold

Ethiopians dominated the Dubai Marathon on Sunday, with debutant Nibret Melak winning the men's race and Anchinalu Dessie taking gold in the women's race, as runners from their country swept the women's podium.

Melak finished in two hours and four minutes, nearly two minutes ahead of compatriot Yasin Haji, who took silver, while Rwanda's John Hakizimana came in third.

Dessie shaved nearly four minutes off her personal best to finish in two hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds to win the women's race, after compatriot Muliye Dekebo, who was leading the race, suffered stomach problems with little more than two kilometres to go.

Fellow Ethiopians Muliye Dekebo and Fantu Worku finished second and third as Dessie won her third marathon in a row, having clinched gold in Seville and Beijing last year.

"It's nice to run a personal best, but I think I can even run faster in the future," said Dessie.

Melak, who took gold in the 10,000-meter race at the 2023 African Games, became the sixth Ethiopian debutant to win the Dubai Marathon.

"It was always my goal to win on my debut... my big goal in the future is to break the world record," said Melak.

The 2026 Dubai Marathon marked the 25th edition of the Middle East's oldest international race.

Widely recognised for its flat course, the Dubai Marathon has a reputation for being a race where debutants can make a breakthrough – since 2012, the race has been won by eight men who had never previously run a marathon.