Kenya's Jepchirchir Wins World Marathon Gold in Tokyo Sprint Finish

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir won the women's marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, narrowly defeating Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa by two seconds in a thrilling sprint finish inside the National Stadium. The race featured a tense duel, with both runners running shoulder-to-shoulder for over 15 kilometers before Jepchirchir pulled ahead in the final stretch, securing the world title just as she had won the Olympic marathon at the same venue in 2021. Uruguay's Julia Paternain made history by earning her country's first-ever World Championships marathon medal, taking bronze. American Susanna Sullivan led for much of the early race but finished fourth after being caught by the leaders around the 30-kilometer mark. Despite the challenging humid conditions, both Jepchirchir and Assefa demonstrated remarkable endurance and strategic pacing, with Jepchirchir finding an unexpected burst of energy to outkick the world record holder Assefa. Jepchirchir's victory adds to her impressive marathon career, which includes Olympic gold and major marathon wins like London, Boston, and New York City.