Tokyo World Championships: Photo finish crowns Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu in the marathon

A marathon that looked like a 100-metre sprint. After an unprecedented and ultimately trivial false start, the men’s marathon world title was decided by a photo finish on Monday morning, during the third day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Just three hundredths separated them: Germany’s Amanal Petros thought he had snatched victory by literally throwing himself across the finish line, but Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu edged him by a few centimetres, both clocking 2:09:48. Only seconds earlier, Simbu had nearly taken a wrong turn as he entered the Japanese stadium, a mistake that would have cost him the first Olympic-style world championship gold medal in his country’s history. Italy’s Iliass Aouani completed the leading trio as they entered the capital’s National Stadium, earning bronze in 2:09:53.

“When I entered the stadium, I had no certainty that I could win,” Simbu said after the moment that instantly became iconic. “It was the same once I crossed the line! But when I saw myself at the top of the results on the big screens, I felt relieved.” Even after the frustration of such a tiny margin, Petros responded with class. “It looked like a 100 metres, just like the women’s marathon on Sunday, which also ended in a sprint,” the German recalled. “I’m very sad, but I have to accept the verdict. You lose today, you win tomorrow. That’s life, and that’s why we compete. Congratulations to Simbu!”

A blistering start

Japan’s public holiday marked Respect for the Aged Day (Keirō no hi), a national celebration centred on patience and perseverance, values that perfectly matched the mood of this World Championships marathon. From the opening kilometres, Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich set out to make an impact, passing 5 km in 15:22.

The favourites followed his lead. Victor Kiplangat, Stephen Kissa, Deresa Geleta, Tadese Takele, Abel Chelangat, Kenyans Hillary Kipkoech and Kennedy Kimutai, along with a fired-up Petros, set the tone. They reached halfway in 1:05:19 and 30 km in 1:32:27, a sustained pace that was almost worthy of a record attempt. It did not last. Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta, the strongest on paper with a 2:02:38 personal best, appeared to be in control. But the marathon remains the ultimate judge: after 35 km, the fastest man in the field came to a sudden halt, floored by the effort.

The money time: 15 in the hunt for the title

As they approached 38 km, 15 men were still dreaming of the world title. Shortly before 39 km came the surprise: Uganda’s Kiplangat, the 2023 world champion, began to lose contact. So did some spectators, who got caught up in the moment and tried to run alongside the elites for a few hundred metres, just long enough to feel the race’s force before stopping, exhausted. At the front, Abel Chelangat tried to impose his rhythm and led a small train of five runners. But as they entered the Tokyo stadium, he cracked too, leaving the door open for a chaotic finish. In the final dash, Alphonce Felix Simbu, the bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics and the 2017 London World Championships, found the resources to beat Petros with a textbook dip at the line, a finish seen so often in sprint events. The Italian Aouani completed the podium after a strong comeback, described above.

🤯 A photo finish decided the winner of the men’s marathon at the Tokyo World Championships.

🇹🇿 Alphonce Simbu snatched gold from 🇩🇪 Amanal Petros. pic.twitter.com/zCzRW8t1v8

— Federico Barreiro ⑫ (@BarrMore) September 15, 2025

Europe delivers

This marathon will be remembered as a race in which Europe shone: three Europeans finished in the top seven, with Petros, Aouani and Yohanes Chiappinell all making the cut. It was proof that runners from the Old Continent held their own in the humid heat and intense racing, while several African favourites faded. Israel’s Maru Teferi, already runner-up in Budapest in 2023, hung on through halfway, 28 seconds off the lead, before slipping out of podium contention.

The big absentees: Cheptegei and Kiplimo

Finally, the major absences could not go unmentioned. Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, two Ugandans accustomed to winning major medals, withdrew for “personal reasons”. Cheptegei, the world-record holder over 5,000 m and 10,000 m, a three-time 10,000 m world champion and the 2024 Olympic champion at the distance, is expected on the start line of the Amsterdam Marathon on October 19. His compatriot Kiplimo, a bronze medallist at the 2022 World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics over 10,000 m, will race the Chicago Marathon on October 12, after impressing in the spring at London with a runner-up finish in 2:03:37.

The 2025 Tokyo marathon is a reminder of an immutable championship rule: times are not everything. Geleta, the fastest entrant, blew up. Favourites such as Kiplangat and Chelangat eventually gave way. Simbu, an experienced and resilient racer, managed his effort best and claimed gold after 42.195 km. As so often in championship racing, tactics, patience and mental strength spoke louder than the statistics. It was a holiday Monday that Tokyo and Tanzania will not soon forget.