Ethiopia’s Worknesh Edesa retains marathon title in Osaka

Addis Ababa, January 26, 2025 (FMC) – Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa successfully defended her title at the Osaka Women’s Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (26).

The course record-holder, who ran 2:18:51 when winning last year, this time clocked 2:21:00 to take top spot ahead of Japan’s Kana Kobayashi and Yuka Suzuki, who both ran big PBs.

Seven runners joined the pacemakers in covering the first 5km in 16:50 and they passed 10km in 33:23.

Worknesh continued to run solo, passing 40km in 2:13:26. Suzuki was 18 seconds behind, but Kobayashi was closing the gap and was 16 seconds behind Suzuki at that point.

Worknesh’s victory was never in doubt and she won in 2:21:00, while Kobayashi passed Suzuki with 800m to go to move into second place, according to World Athletics.