Kitwara, Kirwa face off with Tola in chase for Doha Marathon glory
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 15.01.26. | 07:40
The women’s elite race is headed by Ethiopia’s Tigist Girma
Former Chicago Marathon silver medalist Sammy Kitwara headlines Kenya's contingent to this year's Doha Marathon set for Friday, 16 January.
Kitwara goes toe-to-toe with Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola with compatriot Nicholas Kirwa completing the top three fastest entrants.
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At 38, Kitwara remains a consistent presence in the classic distance, having claimed victories at the Marrakesh and Shenzhen marathons in 2024 and has a wealth of experience, having improved his bronze from 2013 to silver at the Chicago Marathon in both 2014 and 2015, as well as placing sixth at the London Marathon in 2015.
His only outing last year came at the Wuxi Marathon, where he finished fifth in 2:07:19. His marathon pedigree, however, was underlined in Valencia in 2017, where he stormed to victory in a then-course record of 2:05:15, holding off compatriot Evans Chebet (2:05:30) and Ethiopia’s Deribe Melka (2:06:38).
Meanwhile, Kirwa returns to Doha aiming to build on his fifth-place finish from last year’s race.
On his part, Tola, who 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, comes with a load of experience, and is the favourite.
That Olympic triumph added to an already distinguished career as the Ethiopian has 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.”
Elsewhere, 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.
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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.
