Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir wins World Championships marathon in crazy sprint finish
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa was forced to settle for silver, while Uruguay’s Julia Paternain shocked with a brilliant bronze
Nick Iwanyshyn
How does a 42.2K race so often seem to come down to a sprint finish? On Sunday morning in Tokyo, Kenya’s 2021 Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir held off Ethiopian women-only world record holder Tigst Assefa in a thrilling 300-metre sprint for the marathon world title, winning in two hours, 24 minutes and 43 seconds. Assefa settled for second in 2:24:45, while Uruguay’s Julia Paternain scored a surprise bronze medal in 2:27:23–in only her second-ever marathon.
Paternain’s performance marks Uruguay’s first world championship medal in any event. She hadn’t realized she landed herself a spot on the podium–or even completed the event–until she ran past the finish line. The 25-year-old was born in Mexico, grew up in the U.K., and studied in the U.S., at Penn State and Arkansas University.
Team USA’s Susannah Sullivan took the race out hot, leading by herself for an hour and boasting a 30-second lead by halfway. She was caught by the chase pack in the second half, but, remarkably, hung on for fourth with a time of 2:28:17.
Wodak nails race plan
Canada’s Natasha Wodak took 31st in a solid 2:36:02, a season’s best. During a post-race interview with Canadian Running, she expressed her excitement for how the race played out. She loved the crowd, she said, and nailed her goal of finishing in under 2:37. Wodak hinted that Tokyo 2025 could mark her final world championships–so she was sure to take it all in.
Canadian Running’s coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships is brought to you by ASICS Canada.
