Gobena, Jepchirchir dominate as record field takes on Sydney Marathon

Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena and Kenyan world champion Peres Jepchirchir claimed commanding victories Sunday in the men’s and women’s races at the Sydney Marathon, with Gobena smashing the course record and Jepchirchir adding another major title to an already decorated résumé.

The win marked Gobena’s first World Marathon Major title after finishing runner up last year, while Jepchirchir extended her string of major victories, having previously triumphed in Boston, New York and London.

Gobena made his decisive move in the final kilometer, pulling four seconds clear of compatriot Chimdessa Debele Gudeta to finish in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 42 seconds. Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana rounded out the podium in third. The winning time shattered the previous course record by nearly a minute and a half, and last year’s champion Hailemaryam Kiros faded off the pace in the closing stages.

Gobena, who competed as a javelin thrower before switching to long distance running, said he felt very happy with the result. He said finishing second last year taught him valuable lessons, and that he returned home afterward to correct his mistakes before coming back to break the course record. Gobena first drew international attention after winning the 2024 Dubai Marathon.

Jepchirchir ran in a class of her own, crossing the finish line in front of the Sydney Opera House in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds, nearly four minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai and Ethiopia’s Shure Demise Ware. She said she had prepared thoroughly but was not certain she would win before the race began, adding that she felt glad and happy with the outcome. Jepchirchir described the course as hilly, saying the first half proved especially tough while the second half felt somewhat more manageable, though she stressed the race remained difficult throughout.

In the men’s race, the lead pack had narrowed to 15 runners by the halfway point, including Gobena, world champion Alphonce Simbu and Kiros. Dawit Wolde, Vincent Ngetich and Gobena each attempted breakaway moves during the middle stages, but the pack reeled them back in, narrowing to seven runners with six kilometers remaining. That same group remained largely intact at the 40 kilometer mark before Gobena and Gudeta broke away together, with Gobena ultimately outkicking his countryman in the final sprint to the line.

Among the women, Kenya’s Priscah Cherono set an aggressive early pace, opening a 20 second lead by the 15 kilometer mark that grew to 30 seconds by halfway. The chasing group, eventually reduced to just Jepchirchir and Cheptai, caught the 46 year old Cherono just before the 30 kilometer point. Jepchirchir and Cheptai then pulled away together before Jepchirchir accelerated decisively, finishing just nine seconds outside the course record set by Olympic champion Sifan Hassan in 2025.

American Daniel Romanchuk won the men’s wheelchair race, while Switzerland’s Manuela Schar, a three time Paralympic gold medalist, took the women’s wheelchair title.

Around 40,000 runners, a record turnout for the event, competed on the scenic 42.19 kilometer course, which winds through the city from North Sydney, across the Harbour Bridge and finishes on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The race was elevated last year to become the seventh World Marathon Major, placing it alongside London, Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York among the sport’s elite global series.