WCH Tokyo 25 brushstroke (© World Athletics)
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2023: 1 Amane Beriso (ETH) – 2:24:23, 2 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) – 2:24:34, 3 Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (MAR) – 2:25:17
2022: 1 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) – 2:18:11, 2 Judith Korir (KEN) – 2:18:20, 3 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) – 2:20:18
2019: 1 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) – 2:32:43, 2 Rose Chelimo (BRN) – 2:33:46, 3 Helaria Johannes (NAM) – 2:34:15
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Sifan Hassan (NED) – 2:22:55, 2 Tigist Assefa (ETH) – 2:22:58, 3 Hellen Obiri (KEN) – 2:23:10
2020: 1 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) – 2:27:20, 2 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) – 2:27:36, 3 Molly Seidel (USA) – 2:27:46
Fastest winning times in World Athletics Championships history
2:18:11 – Gotytom Gebreselassie (ETH), 2022
2:20:57 – Paula Radcliffe (GBR), 2005
2:23:55 – Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 2003
Slowest winning time in World Athletics Championships history
2:32:43 – Ruth Chepngetich (KEN), 2019
Best marks on Japanese soil
2:15.55 1 Sutume Asefa (ETH) - Tokyo 03.03.2024
2:16.02 1 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) - Tokyo 06.03.2022
2:16.14 2 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) - Tokyo 03.03.2024
Best marks on Asian soil
2:15.55 1 Sutume Asefa (ETH) - Tokyo 03.03.2024
2:16.02 1 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) - Tokyo 06.03.2022
2:16.14 2 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) - Tokyo 03.03.2024
Biggest winning margins
7:21 – 1987: Rosa Mota (POR) – 2:25:17, Zoya Ivanova (URS) – 2:32:38
3:00 – 1983: Grete Waitz (NOR) – 2:28:09, Marianne Dickerson (USA) – 2:31:09
1:24 – 1997: Hiromi Suzuki (JPN) – 2:29:48, Manuela Machado (POR) – 2:31:12
Smallest winning margins
0:01 – 2015: Mare Dibaba (ETH) – 2:27:35, Helah Kiprop (KEN) – 2:27:36
0:03 – 1999: Jong Song-Ok (PRK) – 2:26:59, Ari Ichihashi (JPN) – 2:27:02
0:04 – 1991: Wanda Panfil (POL) – 2:29:53, Sachiko Yamashita (JPN) – 2:29:57
Multiple winners
2003/07 - Catherine Ndereba (KEN)
2011/13 - Edna Kiplagat (KEN)
Winners by country
5 - Kenya
3 - Ethiopia
2 - Portugal
2 - Japan
1 - Norway
1 - Poland
1 - People’s Republic of Korea
1 - Romania
1 - Great Britain
1 - China
1 - Bahrain
Five historic facts
- Hosts Japan have won medals in the women’s marathon on the two previous occasions the World Championships have been held in Japan: Sachiko Yamashita won silver in Tokyo 1991 and Reiko Tosa won bronze in Osaka 2007
- The two slowest winning times in championship history were both set in Asian editions of the World Championships: 2:30:37 Catherine Ndereba (KEN) in Osaka in 2007, 2:32:43 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) in Doha in 2019, 2:32:43
- The 1995 World Championships won by Manuela Machado (POR) in 2:25:39 has the infamous distinction of being the only marathon which was run below marathon distance. The race was 400m short of marathon distance, as runners were directed from the stadium one lap too early after the start
- The 2025 World Championships will be the first marathon with a stadium finish since the 2015 World Championships in Beijing
- Grete Waitz (NOR) became the first ever world champion at the World Athletics Championships with her marathon victory in Helsinki in 1983
Potential storylines
- Will Ethiopia win their third successive title in the women’s marathon? Their team includes London Marathon winner Tigist Assefa and Sutume Asefa, who holds the Japanese all-comers' record with 2:15:55
- The field includes seven athletes with sub-2:20 lifetime bests
- Can Japan win their first medal in the women’s marathon at the World Championships since Kayoko Fukushi (JPN) in Moscow in 2013?
- Can Magdalyne Masai (KEN) become the third athlete from her family to win a World Championships medals? Her sister Linet won the 10,000m world title in Berlin 2009 and Moses won 10,000m bronze, also in Berlin
- Six of the top-10 finishers from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games marathon are on the entry-list: Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2nd, Yuka Suzuki (JPN) 6th, Stella Chesang (UGA) 7th, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) 8th, Eunice Chumba (BRN) 9th, Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (MAR) 10th
- Fionnuala McCormack (IRL) has competed at five Olympic Games but this will be her first appearance at the World Championships since Daegu in 2011 when she competed in the 3000m steeplechase. She also ran in the 3000m steeplechase the last time Japan staged the World Championships in Osaka in 2007
- Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie (ESP) had the distinction of becoming European marathon champion at the 2025 European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven, the first time the marathon has been staged separately to the European Athletics Championships. She won the title despite a heavy mid-race fall when she tripped over a male club runner
