Ugandan distance star Stella Chesang delivered a statement performance on Sunday, powering to a commanding victory at the Osaka Women’s Marathon to become the first Ugandan woman to win a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon.
Chesang broke clear in the closing kilometres to cross the line in 2:19:31, sealing a convincing win after a tightly contested race that saw four athletes finish inside 2:20.
The national record holder stayed patient through much of the race, running within a large lead group in the early stages.
Defending champion Workenesh Edesa, Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa, Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda, Mao Uesugi, Nanaka Izawa and marathon debutant Mikuni Yada were all part of the pack as they passed 5km in 16:44 and 10km in 33:16.
The group began to thin out approaching the halfway point, with Izawa and Matsuda gradually losing contact. By 25km, Chesang remained among a leading quartet alongside Yada, Edesa and Hirpa, reaching the mark in 1:22:59.
After the pacemakers stepped aside at 30km, Yada helped lift the tempo as the race built toward a dramatic finish.
The decisive moment came late on. After 38km, the front pack started to fragment, and Chesang edged to the front by 40km, clocking 2:12:23 at the checkpoint.
Although Yada briefly surged past Hirpa and Edesa, Chesang responded immediately, reclaiming control and pulling clear in the final kilometres to secure victory.
The 2018 Commonwealth 10,000m champion, who finished 12th at last year’s World Championships marathon, was followed home by Hirpa in 2:19:54 and Edesa in 2:19:56. Yada finished fourth in 2:19:57, just one second behind the podium, setting a new benchmark as the fastest marathon debut ever by a Japanese woman and moving to sixth on Japan’s all-time list.
Stella Chesang makes history with landmark Osaka Women’s Marathon win
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