Kebede, Kipruto, Kosgei and Cheptegei announced for Tokyo Marathon
Sutume Kebede and Benson Kipruto will defend their titles when they form part of strong fields announced for the Tokyo Marathon – a World Athletics Platinum Label road race – on 2 March.
Ethiopia’s Kebede, who set a Japanese all-comers' record of 2:15:55 when winning in Tokyo last year, is set to be joined by five other women to have dipped under 2:18 in a field that features a total of 11 sub-2:20 runners.
Two of them are also formers winners, with Brigid Kosgei and Rosemary Wanjiru returning after their respective victories in 2022 and 2023.
Kenya’s former world record-holder Kosgei is the fastest in the field with her PB of 2:14:04 set in Chicago in 2019, while her compatriot Wanjiru ran 2:16:14 when finishing runner-up to Kebede in Tokyo last year.
Among those joining them are Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema, who ran 2:16:07 on her debut in Dubai just over a year ago, and multiple global gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba.
Their compatriots Hawi Feysa, who won in Frankfurt in October in 2:17:25, 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase and 2021 London Marathon runner-up Degitu Azimeraw have also been announced, along with Japan’s Ai Hosoda and Yuka Ando.
Kenya’s Kipruto, who also set a Japanese all-comers' record when winning in Tokyo last year in 2:02:16, will be joined in the men’s race by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder who returns to the roads to contest his second marathon after his 2:08:59 debut in Valencia in 2023.
The field features six sub-2:04 athletes, with Kipruto joined by Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta, the Olympic fifth-place finisher and Valencia Marathon runner-up who has a best of 2:02:38, plus two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, Tadese Takele and Dawit Wolde, as well as Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich, who was third last year.
The line-up also includes Ethiopia’s world bronze medallist Leul Gebresilase, Uganda’s Stephen Kissa, Japan’s Yohei Ikeda and Akira Akasaki, and Kenya’s Benard Koech, who makes his marathon debut.
Elite fields
WomenBrigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14Hawi Feysa (ETH) 2:17:25Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:17:56Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 2:18:11Winfridah Moraa Moseti (KEN) 2:18:25Mestawut Fikir (ETH) 2:18:48Magdalyne Masai (KEN) 2:18:58Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:20:31Desi Jisa Mokonin (BRN) 2:20:47Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:18Jessica Stenson (AUS) 2:24:01Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:24:05Rie Kawauchi (JPN) 2:25:35Kaori Morita (JPN) 2:26:31Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32Shiho Kaneshige (JPN) 2:28:51
MenBenson Kipruto (KEN) 2:02:16Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:02:38Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02Stephen Kissa (UGA) 2:04:48Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:04:49Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:54Yohei Ikeda (JPN) 2:05:12Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29Mulugeta Asefa Uma (ETH) 2:05:33Ichitaka Yamashita (JPN) 2:05:51Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:05:59Hiroto Inoue (JPN) 2:06:47He Jie (CHN) 2:06:57Vincent Raimoi (KEN) 2:07:01Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14Akira Akasaki (JPN) 2:07:32Suldan Hassan (SWE) 2:07:36Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 2:08:59Benard Koech (KEN) debutGeoffrey Toroitich (KEN) debut
posted Thursday January 23rd