Tadese Takele and Sutume Asefa Kebede claimed brilliant victories to give Ethiopia a win double in Sunday’s 2025 Tokyo Marathon.
Kebede followed up on her 2024 success with a repeat in the Japanese capital, while Takele romped home to take the tape for the first time.
Kebede dominant in Tokyo repeat
Kebede was dominant throughout as she really bossed the opposite en route to victory, blasting out to a lead of more than 40 seconds inside the first 10k. By the time she hit the 20km mark that advantage was a huge 1:25, and by 25km it was two minutes. and it was very much her race to lose.
While the gap did close somewhat in the second half of the race, she coasted home to win by 25 seconds in a time of 2:16:31 from Kenya’s Winfridah Moraa Moseti with fellow Ethiopian Hawi Feysa claiming the final spot on the podium.

PB for Takele in Japanese romp
Things were not quite so straightforward for Takele in the men’s race and it was not until the final 5k that the Ethiopian star began to assert. Compatriot Deresa Geleta was his main rival as the field entered those closing stages, but it was Takele who made the decisive break with around 3k still to travel.
Takele would not be denied and as he quickly extended the gap to around 50m, the battle was only now for second place between Geleta and Vincent Kipkemoi of Kenya.
At the line the final winning time for Takele was a terrific 2:03:23, a new personal best for the 22-year-old prodigy.
The other big story on Sunday was the comeback after 10 years of British legend and former world record holder Paula Radcliffe. Despite battling a long-standing foot problem, she completed the race in a time of 2:57:22 to move one step closer to a Six Star medal. She hopes to complete that at the Boston Marathon in April.
Tokyo Marathon Results
Men
- Tadese Takele (ETH) – 2:03:23
- Deresa Geleta (ETH) – 2:03:51
- Vincent Kipkemoi (KEN) – 2:04:00
- Titus Kipruto (KEN) – 2:05:34
- Asefa Uma (ETH) – 2:05:46
- Benson Kipruto (KEN) – 2:05:46
- Geoffrey Toroitich (KEN) – 2:05:46
- Suldan Hassan (SWE) – 2:05:57
- Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) – 2:05:59
- Tsubasa Ichiyama (JPN) – 2:06:00
Women
- Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) – 2:16:31
- Winfridah Moraa Moseti (KEN) – 2:16:56
- Hawi Feysa (ETH) – 2:17:00
- Magdalyne Masai (KEN) – 2:19:28
- Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) – 2:19:57
- Desi Mokonin (BRN) – 2:20:07
- Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) – 2:20:25
- Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) – 2:20:26
- Zhang Deshun (CHN) – 2:20:53
- Jessica Stenson (AUS) – 2:22:56