The 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo delivered a dramatic showdown on Sunday morning as Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir edged Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in the Women’s Marathon final, winning by just two seconds. Organizers started the race half an hour early to avoid the rising heat, yet runners still faced punishing conditions 28°C with high humidity as they left the National Stadium for a 41 km circuit through Japan’s capital.
For much of the race, Ethiopia’s trio set the pace at the front, with Assefa, the world record holder, leading the charge. But Jepchirchir, known for her tactical finishes, stayed close, waiting for the decisive moment. After more than two hours of running, both women re-entered the stadium stride for stride. Assefa surged ahead in the final 100 metres, but Jepchirchir unleashed a late burst of speed to claim victory in 2:24:43, two seconds clear of her rival.
The result echoed history: Jepchirchir also triumphed in the same venue at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while Assefa has now suffered a second heartbreaking silver after finishing runner-up in Paris last year. Uruguay’s Julia Paternain claimed bronze with a personal best of 2:27:23, making history as the first South American woman to medal in the World Championships marathon. Sunday’s race marked one of the highlights of the Championships’ opening weekend, setting the tone for a week of high-stakes competition in Tokyo.
