Kebede Defends Title, Takele Secures First Major Victory in Tokyo

Tokyo, March 2 (NationPress) Tadese Takele achieved his inaugural major marathon triumph, while Sutume Kebede successfully defended her title, resulting in an Ethiopian double at the Tokyo Marathon, a prestigious World Athletics Platinum Label road event held on Sunday.

Takele, who secured third place in the Berlin Marathon in 2023, recorded a world-leading time of 2:03:23, improving his personal best by a single second. He won by an impressive margin of 28 seconds over compatriot Deresa Geleta (2:03:51), with Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi finishing in third place at 2:04:00.

Kebede set a remarkable Japanese all-comers' record of 2:15:55 when she triumphed in Tokyo last year. This time, she achieved a world-leading time of 2:16:31, marking her as the first woman to win the Tokyo Marathon consecutively. All three podium finishers clocked times under 2:17, with Kenya’s Winfridah Moraa Moseti finishing second in a personal best of 2:16:56 and Hawi Feysa taking 25 seconds off her previous best with 2:17:00 for third.

The marathon commenced under nearly ideal conditions, but as the morning progressed, the temperature rose.

Both the men's and women's races opened with an ambitious pace, completing the first 5km in 14:25 for the men and 15:35 for the women.

Kenya’s defending champion Benson Kipruto was part of the leading men's group alongside athletes like Takele, Geleta, and Kipkemoi, while Uganda’s world record-holder in the 5000m and 10,000m, Joshua Cheptegei, was positioned in the second group. “Marathon is the new chapter for me,” Cheptegei remarked prior to the race, gearing up for his second marathon after a debut time of 2:08:59 in Valencia in 2023.

As the race progressed, Tsegaye Getachew fell off the pace shortly before the 25km mark, and the leading pack began to stretch out after the 28km mark, with Kipruto unable to keep up.

By the 30km mark, Kipkemoi, Geleta, and Takele had begun to pull away from the lead group, and by 31km, the race narrowed down to just that trio.

Cheptegei initially led the chase pack but Stephen Kissa eventually took charge, attempting to break up the group around the 35km mark. However, Kissa couldn’t sustain that momentum, allowing Cheptegei to retake the lead in the chase.

At the forefront of the race, Takele made a decisive move around the 38km point, accelerating to leave both Kipkemoi and Geleta behind, remaining unchallenged thereafter.

“I feel very good,” expressed Takele, the 2021 world U20 3000m steeplechase silver medallist, competing in his third marathon after finishing third in Berlin in 2023 and seventh in 2024. “I had prepared well, but the result surpassed my expectations. At a certain moment, I told myself that I must go for the win.”

Kipruto finished seventh with a time of 2:05:46, while Cheptegei placed ninth at 2:05:59, marking a three-minute improvement from his Valencia time.

In the women’s division, Kebede began at a pace suitable for a 2:12 marathon thanks to her rapid initial 5km.

Although she couldn't sustain that pace, she still reached the 10km mark in 31:22 and halfway in 1:06:20, albeit slowing in the latter half.

Upon reaching the 30km mark at 1:34:44, Kebede remained unchallenged, crossing the finish line in 2:16:31 to successfully defend her crown.

Trailing her, Moseti ran a much steadier race, gradually closing the gap on Kebede to finish just 25 seconds behind. The Bangsaen21 Half Marathon champion passed the 10km point in 32:24 and halfway in 1:08:23—two minutes behind Kebede.

Feysa was also in that group, alongside Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru and Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase.

Moseti and Feysa maintained their pace together throughout the second half, reaching the 40km mark in 2:09:57, with Moseti finishing stronger to secure second place, just four seconds ahead of Feysa.

In other notable performances, former world record-holder Paula Radcliffe clocked in at 2:57:26 in her first competitive marathon in a decade.