Ethiopians sweep Athens Marathon as Taferi and Dusha set course records

Ethiopians swept the 2026 Athens Marathon, the Authentic, on Sunday, November 8, as Manazot Siyoum Taferi and Yatane Kormoshe Dusha set course records at the historic Panathenaic Stadium.

Taferi won the men’s race in 2:10:03, while Dusha captured the women’s title in 2:30:04.

Asefa Tefera Mengisha finished second in the men’s race in 2:10:18, with Kenya’s Patrick Keter Kiplagat third in 2:11:22. In the women’s race, Tsiyon Abebe Temesgen claimed runner-up honours in 2:30:29, ahead of American Jane Jepkemboi Bareikis, who finished third in 2:32:59.

Taferi passed halfway in 1:06:50 and reached 30 kilometres in 1:35:02 before completing a strong second half over the challenging, hilly route from Marathon to Athens. His winning time shaved 31 seconds off the previous course record of 2:10:34, set by Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo in 2023. Mengisha also finished inside the previous record, just 15 seconds behind his compatriot.

The leading Ethiopian pair began to separate from the field after 35 kilometres, although the outcome remained in doubt until the final kilometre.

In the women’s race, Dusha and Temesgen broke clear after halfway before Dusha pulled away late to secure the victory. Her 2:30:04 bettered the previous event record of 2:31:06, set by Lithuania’s Rasa Drazdauskaitė in 2010.

Kenya’s Vincent Kipsang Rono finished fourth in 2:12:06, followed by Eritrea’s Nguse Amlosom Tesfaldet in 2:12:20 and Kenya’s Victor Biwott in 2:14:10.

Konstantinos Stamoulis was the first Greek man across the line, finishing eighth in 2:17:37.

In the women’s race, Stamatia Noula finished sixth in 2:35:13, recording the fastest time by a Greek woman on the historic course.

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