• Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele and Deresa Geleta seeking to repeat success from this year’s Tokyo Marathon
• Kenyan challenge headed by Vincent Ngetich
• Uganda’s defending champion Victor Kiplangat and home hopes Ryota Kondo Yuya and Yoshida also ones to watch

The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 could witness a repeat performance from the three men who earned podium positions at the marathon staged in the capital city on 2 March.

Tadese Takele’s time of 2:03:23 in earning his first major marathon victory makes him the fastest entrant for the marathon at the World Championships.

The 23-year-old Ethiopian - who had previously finished seventh and third at the Berlin Marathon - was followed home by his compatriot Deresa Geleta, who clocked 2:03:51.

That makes him the second-fastest entrant, one position above Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich, who finished a few paces behind him in Tokyo in 2:04:00.

Athletes from these two east African nations look likely to make a major impact on the race, as has so often been the case. Of the past nine titles, Kenya has won four and Ethiopia two.

Tesfaye Deriba, the third Ethiopian entered, is fourth on the entry list, thanks to the 2:04:13 he clocked in winning the Barcelona Marathon.

Kenya’s Eric Sang has a season’s best of 2:04:30, while his compatriot Kennedy Kimutai has run 2:05:27.

Neither Ethiopia nor Kenya holds the title currently, however. That honour was earned in Budapest two years ago by Uganda’s Vincent Kiplangat, who became the second runner from his country to become world marathon champion, 10 years after Stephen Kiprotich had achieved that distinction.

Kiplangat has a personal best of 2:05:09 from 2022, the year in which he won the Commonwealth title. In so doing, and despite making a course error, he finished a minute ahead of Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu, who also finished second at this year's Boston Marathon in 2:05:05.

Home expectations will rest on Ryota Kondo, second in Osaka this year with a PB of 2:05:39, and Kyohei Hosoya, winner in Fukuoka at the end of last year with a PB of 2:05:16.

Britain's Emile Cairess is also one to watch. After finishing third at last year's London Marathon in a PB of 2:06:46, he finished one place off a medal at the Olympics. He will thus be the highest-placed Paris 2024 contender in Tokyo.

Israel's Maru Teferi, who earned silver in Budapest two years ago, could once again be in the hunt for medals. Last year he improved the national record to 2:04:44 in Valencia.

Also likely to be in the mix are Cameron Levins of Canada, a 2:05:36 performer in 2023, South Africa’s Elroy Gelant, who has run 2:05:36 this year, and Sweden’s Suldan Hassan, who has a 2024 mark of 2:05:57 to his credit.

Italians Yohanes Chiapinelli, who ran 2:05:24 last year, and Yemaneberhan Crippa, the 2022 European 10,000m champion who clocked 2:06:06 in 2024, could also feature, as could German duo Richard Ringer and Amanal Petros.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics