Tokyo, 14 September 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya claimed the women's marathon title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday, edging Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa in a thrilling sprint finish.

The two runners entered the Japan National Stadium neck and neck after some 42 kilometres on the streets of Tokyo.

Assefa pushed ahead down the back straight of the track, but Jepchirchir, who won Olympic gold in Japan 2021, responded with a powerful kick off the final bend to cross the line first in 2:24:43 hours.

Assefa, silver medallist at the Paris Olympics last year, finished just two seconds behind.

Uruguay's Julia Paternain made history by taking bronze, becoming the country's first ever world medallist.

Photo: EPA