Tamirat Tola and Tigist Girma headline Doha Marathon by Ooredoo

A strong international field, including 2024 Olympic champion, will compete at the World Athletics Gold Label marathon in Qatar.

The start of a new year brings fresh marathon opportunities for the world’s best distance runners, with the Doha Marathon by Ooredoo taking centre stage on January 16.

Now in its third consecutive year as a World Athletics Gold Label event, the race continues to grow in stature. Starting and finishing at Hotel Park, the flat, fast course follows Doha’s scenic Corniche, offering both favourable racing conditions and a striking backdrop.

Leading the men’s elite field is Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, the reigning Olympic marathon champion. At the Paris 2024 Games, Tola produced a remarkable performance to win gold in an Olympic record time of 2:06:26, becoming the first Ethiopian man in 24 years to claim the Olympic marathon title. His victory came after a late call-up to the team following another athlete’s withdrawal.

That Olympic triumph added to an already distinguished career. Tola won bronze over 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympics and silver in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships in London. He went on to claim the world marathon title at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, setting a championship best of 2:05:36. More recently, he broke the course record to win the 2023 New York City Marathon in 2:04:58, and holds a personal best of 2:03:39 from the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon.

“My journey has taught me to always be ready for the next challenge and coming to Qatar as the Olympic champion is a powerful motivation,” says Tola. “It’s an honour to join an event that inspires the next generation of runners, and I look forward to feeling the incredible energy of the community in Doha.”

Also lining up in the elite men’s race are Kenya’s Sammy Kitwara and Nicholas Kirwa, who bring personal bests of 2:04:28 and 2:05:01 respectively.

At 38, Kitwara remains a consistent presence of the marathon. He claimed victories at the Marrakesh and Shenzhen marathons in 2024 and has a wealth of experience, having finished second at the Chicago Marathon in both 2014 and 2015, as well as placing sixth at the London Marathon in 2015.

Kirwa returns to Doha aiming to build on his fifth-place finish from last year’s race. The 2024 edition was won by fellow Kenyan Ezra Kipketer Tanui, who is not among this year’s starters.

The women’s elite race is headed by Ethiopia’s Tigist Girma, who arrives in Doha with the fastest personal best in the field. Girma set her marathon best of 2:18:52 in Valencia in 2022, marking her out as the leading contender on paper.

Following that performance, Girma was absent from the marathon circuit for an extended period, before returning in early 2025 to finish third at the Dubai Marathon.

Ethiopia could well dominate the podium, with several of its athletes firmly in contention. Sentayehu Lewetegn brings a personal best of 2:22:36 from 2022, though she has not completed a marathon since 2023. Another Ethiopian challenger is Tigist Gezahagn, who owns a best of 2:22:47 and will also be looking to feature prominently.

Standing in the way of a clean sweep for Ethiopia is Kenya’s Amana Mursi Kipyatich, who has become a familiar presence at the Doha Marathon. Kipyatich finished second in 2024 before placing eighth in last year’s race and holds a personal best of 2:23:45. Her experience on the Doha course could prove valuable.

The marathon begins at 6am (AST) / 3am (GMT) on Friday January 16.