Under the 27-28 degree Celsius heat and scorching sun of the Japanese capital, the 42.195 km race concluded with an unprecedented photo finish. A photo finish is a sporting term used when athletes cross the finish line almost simultaneously, making it difficult to determine the winner with the naked eye. The organizing committee had to use a camera system.

Alphonce Simbu (left) and Amanal Petros finish almost simultaneously in the men's marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, 15/9/2025. _Photo: EPA_

At the National Stadium in Tokyo, Simbu crossed the finish line first with a time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 48 seconds, the same time as German athlete of Ethiopian descent, Amanal Petros. However, Simbu was declared the winner by 0.03 seconds—the smallest margin of victory in world championship marathon history.

Previously, the record for the closest marathon finish in world championship history belonged to the 2001 Edmonton race, where Gezahegne Abera (Ethiopia) defeated Simon Biwott (Kenya) by exactly 1 second. Abera finished in 2 hours 12 minutes and 42 seconds, while Biwott came in second with 2 hours 12 minutes and 43 seconds.

The victory in Tokyo on 15/9 adds to Simbu's collection of world championship medals after his bronze in London in 2017 and caps off an impressive year, including a second-place finish at the Boston Marathon in 4/2025.

"I made history today, winning the first gold medal for Tanzania at a world championship," said an emotional Simbu. "I won a bronze medal in London in 2017 and then went through several unsuccessful races. But this time, I told myself I wouldn't give up, to stick with the leading group, and finally, the result came."

Petros did not hide his disappointment at receiving the silver medal despite finishing with the same time as Simbu. "It was like running a 100m race," he expressed. "At the finish line, I was only thinking about winning, so I'm a little sad. But that's sport; you need to learn, train for the future, and be grateful for the silver medal."

Alphonce Simbu achieves the narrowest victory in world championship marathon history, becoming the first Tanzanian athlete to win a gold medal at the event. _Photo: Canadian Running Magazine_

In the race, almost ten athletes were competing in the leading pack at the 30 km mark, including Abel Chelangat (Uganda), Clayton Young (USA), and Emile Cairess (UK). But the 28-degree heat in Tokyo caused the athletes to gradually slow down, leaving only the fittest to contend for the win.

Iliass Aouani (Italy) took the bronze medal with a time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 53 seconds. Home favorite Kondo Ryota maintained a position in the top group until the 39 km mark, but then faltered and finished 11th.

Hong Duy