Buze Diriba set a new course record to win Amsterdam Marathon

Ethiopian runner Buze Diriba set a new course record with an impressive time of 2:16:12, while compatriot Lemi Berhanu Hayle came within three seconds of the men’s best, finishing in 2:03:33 to win the prestigious Amsterdam Marathon, part of the World Athletics Platinum Label circuit.

Despite the rainy weather in the Dutch capital, both winners put in exceptionally strong second halves of the distance and dramatically improved their personal bests. Buze Diriba shaved more than three minutes off her previous best (2:19:34), breaking both the race record and the record for the fastest run on Dutch soil (2:16:52), set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024. 2016 Boston champion Lemi Berhanu Hayle improved his personal best from a decade ago by a full minute.

In the women’s race, Ethiopian dominance was complete. Last year’s champion Aynalem Desta finished second with a personal best of 2:17:06, while Meseret Belete rounded out the Ethiopian podium with a personal best of 2:18:06.

In the men’s race, Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli, who recently won silver at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, finished second with a time of 2:03:39. His compatriot Patrick Mosin was third with a time of 2:03:58. The race made history as only the third in which eight athletes broke the 2:05:00 mark.