Gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir (C) of Kenya, silver medalist Tigst Assefa (R) of Ethiopia and bronze medalist Julia Paternain of Uruguay celebrate after the women's marathon final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

TOKYO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir emerged victorious from a thrilling duel with Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia to take the women's marathon gold medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships here on Sunday.

Kenya's Jepchirchir and Assefa pulled clear from other runners before 30km and remained together all the way until entering the Japan National Stadium for the final stretch. 28-year-old Assefa, who set the women-only world marathon record of 2:15:50 in April in London, was the first to launch her charge with some 250 meters to go. Jepchirchir managed to keep up and surged ahead near the final bend to hit the finish line first in 2:24:43.

"It was not my ultimate plan to sprint in the final meters, but when I saw I was 100m from the finish, I just started to kick," the 31-year-old Kenyan said. "I am so happy with what I have done in Tokyo. It was so hot, so difficult. But I managed to do it. It was not easy."

The world title in Tokyo added to Jepchirchir's previous gold medal grabbed at the Tokyo Olympic Games whose marathon races were staged in Sapporo.

"This is my first World Championships and I feel grateful that it happened in Tokyo because I won my first Olympic gold medal in Japan. This race was tougher. The humidity was so high and I did not know it would be so hot," she said. "I was so exhausted when coming to the stadium and stepping on the track. I was so exhausted. But I sprinted for it. "

Assefa lagged two seconds behind to settle for the second place, adding another silver to her medal collection following a runner-up finish at last year's Paris Olympics.

"I don't like to think I lost the gold. I always try to be positive and think that I won the silver. Every medal is special and important to me, no matter whether it's from the Olympics or World Championships," Assefa said.

"I had some difficulties in my preparation for Tokyo. After I broke the world record at the London Marathon this year, I took a long rest but I couldn't recover. Honestly, my world record race was much easier than this. It had pacemakers, purposeful preparation and great conditions. It was different today but I coped with all the challenges," she added.

Julia Paternain took the bronze for Uruguay in 2:27:23, the first medal won by a Uruguayan athlete at the athletics worlds.

"I love being able to run for Uruguay. My whole family is from there. I grew up in England and live in the USA. But I am a Nacional football club fan. It's a small country but there's a lot of pride," she said.

The men's marathon race will kick off on Monday morning. ■