Ethiopians dominate 2025 Tokyo Marathon as Benson Kipruto finishes sixth
Ethiopian runners dominated the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, claiming both the men’s and women’s titles as Kenyans struggled to keep up.
Ethiopia's Tadese Takele, ranked an outsider in the race, won the men's race with a personal best time of 2:03:23, becoming, at 22 years, the youngest ever winner of the Tokyo Marathon.
More To Read
Benson Kipruto fell short in his bid to defend his Tokyo Marathon title. He won the 2024 Tokyo Marathon with a course record of 2:02:16 but finished sixth this year with a time of 2:05:46, marking the first time since the 2020 London Marathon that the 33-year-old Kenyan finished outside the top three positions in a marathon.
Kenya's best performer, Vincent Kipkemoi, was third with a time of 2:04:00, finishing nine seconds behind the Ethiopian Deleta Geresa, who clocked 2:03:51 to finish second.
Kipkemoi also finished in last year's Tokyo Marathon, where Kipruto led a Kenyan sweep of the podium with Timothy Kiplagat finishing second.
Kiplagat did not feature in this year's race as he is preparing for next month's London Marathon.
Kenya's next best performer after Kipkemoi was Titus Kipruto, who was fourth with a time of 2:05:34, as marathon debutant Geoffrey Toroitich clocked 2:05:46 to finish seventh in a camera finish with Benson Kipruto.
Vincent Raimoi, the other Kenyan in the race, finished 22nd with a time of 2:08:58.
The Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, who is the reigning world and Olympic 10,000 meters champion, continued to struggle to find his footing in the marathon, finishing ninth in the Japanese capital with a personal best time of 2:05:59.
Two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia marked his return with an 11th-place finish, clocking 2:06:06.
The women's race saw Ethiopia's Sutume Kebede defend her title after running 2:16:31 to win it.
Kebede, who won last year's race with a course record time of 2:15:55, became the first woman to win two consecutive Tokyo Marathons and the second since her compatriot Birhane Dibaba (2015 and 2018) to win the race twice.
Kenya's Winfridah Moraa finished second with a personal best time of 2:16:56, reinforcing her pedigree in the 42-km race after finishing second in last year's Hamburg Marathon.
The Ethiopian Hawi Feysa was third after clocking 2:17:00.
Magdalyne Masai, who finished second in last year's Frankfurt Marathon, finished fourth with a time of 2:19:28.
Rosemary Wanjiru, who won the Tokyo Marathon in 2023 and finished second last year, was the other Kenyan in the women's race, and she finished fifth with a time of 2:19:57.
The 2025 Tokyo Marathon had a prize money of $286,000 (SH 37 million). The winners of the men's and women's races took home $78,100 (SH 10 million) each.
Below are the top 10 finishers in each race.
Tokyo Marathon 2025 Men's Top Ten Finishers
1. Tadese Takele (ETH) - 2:03:23
2. Deresa Geleta (ETH) , 2:03:51
3. Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) - 2:04:00
4. Titus Kipruto (KEN) - 2:05:34
5. Mulugeta Asefa Uma (ETH) - 2:05:46
6. Benson Kipruto (KEN) - 2:05:46
7. Geoffrey Toroitich (KEN) - 2:05:46
8. Suldan Hassan (SWE) - 2:05:57 (NR)
9. Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) - 2:05:59
10. Tubasa Ichiyama (JPN) - 2:06:00
Tokyo Marathon 2025 Women's Top Ten Finishers
1. Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) - 2:16:31
2. Winfridah Moraa Moseti (KEN) - 2:16:56
3. Hawi Feysa (ETH) - 2:17:00
4. Magdalyne Masai (KEN) - 2:19:28
5. Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) - 2:19:57
6. Desi Jisa Mokonin (BRN) - 2:20:07
7. Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) - 2:20:25
8. Deshun Zhang (CHN) - 2:20:53
9. Jessica Stenson (AUS) - 2:22:56
10. Yuka Ando (JPN) - 2:23:37
Top Stories Today
