Ethiopian Nibret Melak wins Dubai Marathon 2026

The Dubai Marathon saw yet another double Ethiopian win with Nibret Melak taking first place in the Men's category whilst Anchinalu Dessie finished first in the women’s race.

The 25th edition of the Dubai Marathon saw Ethiopian runners win both categories for the fourth consecutive year. 

Melak finished the race with a stunning time of 2:04:00 beating last year's winner by a whole 50 seconds.

Dessie won the women's category clocking a time of 2:18:31, the 23-year-old bettered her personal best by almost four minutes.

Yasin Haji took second place in the men's run, whilst John Hakizimana of Rwanda took third and was the only non-Ethiopian runner to finish inside the top ten of both the men's and women's categories.

Muliye Dekebo finished just 12 second behind women's winner Dessie, with Fantu Worku ending the race in third.

The runners wrapped up this year’s Dubai Marathon with a dramatic finish on the parade grounds of the Dubai Police Academy, crossing the line in front of packed stands as fans roared on several top athletes.