Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena won the men's Sydney Marathon in a course-record time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 42 seconds on Sunday, while Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir claimed the women's title, adding another major victory to her career. The race, held in perfect conditions, attracted 40,000 competitors from around the world to the hilly harbourside course.
Record-breaking performance in men's race
Gobena, a 21-year-old former javelin thrower who switched to running in 2023, broke away from the lead pack of six runners with compatriot Chimdessa Debele Gudeta inside the final two kilometres. He surged ahead on the downhill finish to the Sydney Opera House, winning by four seconds. His time was more than a minute and a half faster than the previous record of 2:06:06, set by Hailemaryam Kiros in last year's race.
Gobena, who finished second behind Kiros in 2024, celebrated by punching the air after crossing the finish line. "I am very happy. Last year I came second, I learned from my mistake, and I went back home and I worked on my mistake to perform and break the record today," he said through an interpreter. Lesotho's Tebello Ramakongoana finished third in 2:04:57. The top seven finishers, including Kiros, all ran inside Kiros's previous record time.
Jepchirchir dominates women's race
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya broke the women's field early and won by more than three minutes, crossing the line in 2:18:31, nine seconds behind Sidan Hassan's course record set in 2024. The Kenyan has now added the Sydney title to her wins in Boston, New York, and London, making it her fourth marathon major victory. Her compatriot Irene Cheptai was second in 2:22:11, with Shure Demise Ware of Ethiopia third, another 22 seconds back.
Medal mix-up and wheelchair events
The event was overshadowed by a medal mix-up, where a design error depicted Munich's Allianz Arena instead of Sydney's Allianz Stadium on the finishers' medals. Organisers acknowledged the mistake, which incorrectly featured a German landmark on medals intended to show a Sydney landmark. In the wheelchair races, Daniel Romanchuk of the United States smashed the course record, finishing in 1:26:50, more than 30 seconds faster than the previous mark. Britain's David Weir was second in 1:31:33, and China's Luo Zingchuan third. Switzerland's Manuela Schar won the women's wheelchair event in a record time of 1:42:04, with Britain's Eden Rainbow-Cooper second and Tatyana McFadden of the US third. Schar, who said she was "really emotional" about her victory, added that she hadn't had the best start to the season, noting, "I'm getting older, and it's getting harder."
