Deso Gelmisa and Rosemary Wanjiru win Tokyo Marathon

Deso Gelmisa of Ethiopia and Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru were winners at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 5.

The first two finishers ran within 2 hours and 17 minutes in the women's race as Kenya's Wanjiru put in a dominant display to win the race. Wanjiru pushed away from the lead pack a few kilometers from the line. On her own, the 2022 Berlin marathon runner-up Wanjiru moved up the pace, targeting the course record of 2:16:02 set the previous year by Brigid Kosgei. Just before the final kilometer Wanjiru ran all-out despite the course record looked impossible. Wanjiru was as amazed as she broke the tape at 2:16:28, setting the sixth-fastest time in history. Tsehay came in second in a new personal best time and the eighth-fastest time in the history of 2:16:56.

Ethiopia's Ashete Bekere took the third place with a time of 2:19:11. The top Japanese woman was Mizuki Matsuda crossing the finish line in sixth place with a time of 2:21:44.

The men's race winner in Tokyo was decided in a three-way heated sprint in the last 100 meters between Deso Gelmisa, Mohamed Esa, and Tsegaye Getachew. Gelmisa slightly held off Esa to win in 2:05:22. Mohamed clocked the same time to take second, with Tsegaye in third in 2:05:25. Titus Kipruto was just back in a new lifetime best of 2:05:32. Cameron Levins outsprinted Tadu Deme by 2 seconds to set a new Candian national record for the second time in a row of 2:05:36 to take 5th place.

The top Japanese runners were Ichitaka Yamashita (2:05:51) and Kenya Sonota (2:05:59), who finished 7th and 8th, respectively.

Tokyo Marathon 2023 Complete Results