- Sheila Chepkirui won the 2025 Nagoya Women’s Marathon title in a time of 2:20.40.
- Chepkirui’s time was slower than the current course record of 2:17.18 that was set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich in 2022.
- The second and third positions went to Japan’s Sayaka Sato and Bahrain’s Eunice Chebichii Chumba.
Experienced road runner Sheila Chepkirui ensured the coveted Nagoya Women’s 2025 title returned to Kenya on Sunday morning.
Chepkirui executed her race well and went on to bag the title ahead of Japan’s Sayaka Sato and Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Eunice Chebichii Chumba.
The race, which is the biggest women’s only event in the world, started at a high pace thanks to the excellent work done by Kenyan rabbits that included Sheila Chelangat, Nancy Sang, Dolphine Nyaboke and Janeth Jepngetich.
The fast pace forced the leading pack to break into two groups by the halfway mark. The first group had the likes of Chepkirui, Chumba, Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga and four Japanese runners.
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As the battle at the front got hotter, Japan’s Natuski Omori was dropped before her compatriot Mao Uesugi and Aga fell behind the front runners.
Chepkirui, who was the pre-race favorite, increased her pace at the 30km mark and managed to take a lead for a short period before the duo of Chumba and Kaseda rejoined her.
Too hot to handle
However, the 34-year-old took command of the race once again with a few kilometres remaining to the end of the race and never looked back.
She went on to cut the tape in a time of 2:20.40 and in the process missed the existing course record of 2:17.18 that was set by her fellow country woman Ruth Chepngetich in the 2022 edition.
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Chepngetich, the current mixed marathon world record holder, won the Nagoya women’s marathon in 2022 and 2023.
Moreover, Chepkirui’s performance made sure the title returns to Kenya since Japan’s Yuka Ando triumphed in the 2024 edition.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) runner was closely followed by Sato, who crossed the finishing line in an impressive time of 2:20.59 that is likely to help her get a ticket to represent Japan in the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Championships that is scheduled to kick off in the Asian nation on September 13.
On the other hand, Chumba clocked a time of 2:21.35 to finish ahead of Uesugi (2:22.11) and Rika Kaseda (2:23.05).
Top five finishers in the 2025 Nagoya Women’s Marathon
- Sheila Chepkirui: 2:20.40 (Kenya)
- Sayaka Sato: 2:20.59 (Japan)
- Eunice Chumba: 2:21.35 (Bahrain)
- Mao Uesugi: 2:22.11 (Japan)
- Rika Kaseda: 2:23.05 (Japan)