Skip to main content

Osaka Marathon Elite Field



Another week and another big Japanese road race announces its elite field. This year's Osaka Marathon looks set to be a 2:05 race for the men, with Ronald Korir, Bethwel Kibet, Boniface Kimutai, Abdisa Tola, Derseh Kindie and Yihunilign Adane set to pull NR holder Kengo Suzuki to a good comeback and a crew of 2:06 Japanese men led by Paris Olympian Naoki Koyama and Yusuke Nishiyama to faster PBs. Osaka factors into men's team selection for this year's Tokyo World Championships, so expect it to go big.

There are 4 sub-61 half marathoners on the debut list too, led by Ryota Kondo with a 1:00:32 at the 2023 National Corporate Half and last year's Corporate Half winner Shunsuke Shikama, 1:00:41. And hot on the heels of Hiroki Wakabayashi's 2:06:07 collegiate and debut marathon record in Beppu-Oita on Sunday, his Aoyama Gakuin University teammate Asahi Kuroda, the top Japanese man on the Hakone Ekiden's competitive Second Stage last year and even faster this year with a 1:00:03 half marathon equivalent, is also on the list.

Last year's women's winner Waganesh Mekasha is back in the #1 spot off another win in Toronto last fall in a PB of 2:20:44, but a group of another 4 Ethiopians led by Sisay Meseret Gola are all within about a minute of her and should make it a close race. The top non-Ethiopian in the field, Japan's Mirai Waku, 2:25:58, will probably be racing Argentina's Daiana Ocampo, 2:26:24, for the next-best spot on the podium.

NHK will be broadcasting Osaka live and commercial-free starting at 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 24 local time. JRN will be on-site in Osaka throughout race weekend.

Osaka Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Osaka, 24 Feb. 2025
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Men
Ronald Korir (Kenya) - 2:04:22 (4th, Berlin 2023)
Bethwel Kibet (Kenya) - 2:04:37 (2nd, Amsterdam 2023)
Boniface Kimutai (Kenya) - 2:05:05 (10th, Berlin 2023)
Kengo Suzuki (Japan/Fujitsu) - 2:05:28 (4th, Tokyo 2022)
Abdisa Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:05:42 (1st, Dubai 2023)
Derseh Kindie (Ethiopia) - 2:05:51 (12th, Valencia 2023)
Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) - 2:05:53 (1st, Barcelona 2022)
Getaneh Molla (Ethiopia) - 2:06:29 (1st, Ljubljana 2024)
Yusuke Nishiyama (Japan/Toyota) - 2:06:31 (9th, Tokyo 2024)
Naoki Koyama (Japan/Honda) - 2:06:33 (3rd, Osaka 2024)
Abraraw Misganaw (Ethiopia) - 2:06:39 (5th, Dubai 2023)
Kazuya Nishiyama (Japan/Toyota) - 2:06:45 (6th, Osaka 2023)
Kyohei Hosoya (Japan/Kurosaki Harima) - 2:06:55 (12th, Tokyo 2024)
Shokhrukh Davlyatov (Uzbekistan) - 2:07:02 (18th, Valencia 2023)
Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:07:08 (1st, Fukuoka Int'l 2023)
Eyob Faniel (Italy) - 2:07:09 (7th, Sevilla 2024)
Masaki Sakuda (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:07:49 (13th, Osaka 2023)
Kento Kikutani (Japan/Toyota Boshoku) - 2:07:53 (5th, Beppu-Oita 2023)
Yuta Koyama (Japan/Toenec) - 2:07:57 (17th, Osaka 2023)
Takeru Yamaguchi (Japan/Suzuki) - 2:07:58 (18th, Osaka 2023)
Tsukasa Koyama (Japan/Subaru) - 2:08:00 (7th, Beppu-Oita 2023)
Mizuki Higashi (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 2:08:03 (9th, Osaka 2024)
Tianyu Chen (China) - 2:08:11 (7th, Beijing 2023)
Kento Nishi (Japan/Osaka Gas) - 2:08:11 (19th, Osaka 2023)
Yugo Kashiwa (Japan/Konica Minolta) - 2:08:11 (20th, Osaka 2023)
Shunya Kikuchi (Japan/Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:08:20 (21st, Osaka 2023)
Toshiki Sadakata (Japan/Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:08:22 (8th, Chicago 2024)
Yuta Shimoda (Japan/GMO) - 2:08:24 (2nd, Beppu-Oita 2024)
Patrick Wambui (Kenya/NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:08:28 (3rd, Fukuoka Int'l 2024)
Yuki Nakamura (Japan/Sumitomo Denko) - 2:08:29 (1st, Hofu 2022)
Kazuya Azegami (Japan/Toyota) - 2:08:29 (23rd, Osaka 2023)
Erenjia Jia (China) - 2:08:32 (25th, Berlin 2024)
Kiyohito Akiyama (Japan/Aichi Seiko) - 2:08:43 (7th, Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Yuki Takei (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:08:44 (16th, Osaka 2024)
Kazuma Kubo (Japan/Nishitetsu) - 2:08:48 (20th, Tokyo 2022)
Shoma Yamamoto (Japan/NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:08:52 (2nd, Hofu 2022)
Charles Muneria (Kenya) - 2:08:54 (1st, Malaga 2023)
Ben Preisner (Canada) - 2:08:58 (4th, Beppu-Oita 2024)
Olonbayar Jamsran (Mongolia) - 2:08:58 (29th, Osaka 2023)
Riki Nakanishi (Japan/Toenec) - 2:09:01 (1st, Hofu 2024)
Shoma Hosoya (Japan/Logisteed) - 2:09:05 (18th, Osaka 2024)
Masashi Nonaka (Japan/Toyota) - 2:09:11 (20th, Osaka 2024)
Ryo Hashimoto (Japan/Chuo Hatsujo) - 2:09:12 (3rd, Hofu 2022)
Reo Kuniyuki (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:09:21 (4th, Hofu 2022)
Isaac Cheluko (Kenya) - 2:09:25 (5th, Rome 2024)
Yota Ifuku (Japan/Waseda Univ.) - 2:09:26 (1st, Nobeoka 2024)
Jidongzhi Sang (China) - 2:09:29 (9th, Wuxi 2024)
Benard Kimani (Kenya/Comodi Iida) - 2:09:34 (19th, Tokyo 2023)
Koki Takada (Japan/Sumitomo Denko) - 2:09:45 (11th, Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Junnosuke Matsuo (Japan/NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:09:48 (27th, Tokyo 2022)
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Shin Nihon Jusetsu) - 2:10:10 (26th, Osaka 2024)

Debut/Do-Over
Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) - 1:00:32 (3rd, National Corporate Half 2023)
Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) - 1:00:41 (1st, National Corporate Half 2024)
Koki Kamata (Yakult) - 1:00:47 (3rd, National Corporate Half 2024)
Soshi Suzuki (Yasukawa Denki) - 1:00:49 (4th, National Corporate Half 2024)
Ken Yokote (Fujitsu) - 1:01:18 (24th, National Corporate Half 2022)
Ryo Goda (Yasukawa Denki) - 1:01:22 (15th, Marugame Half 2024)
Taiyo Iwasaki (JFE Steel) - 1:01:22 (16th, Marugame Half 2024)
Hiroki Abe (Sumitomo Denko) - 1:01:26 (33rd, National Corporate Half 2022)
Asahi Kuroda (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:39 (23rd, Marugame Half 2024)
Yuma Nozawa (Soka Univ.) - 1:01:46 (10th, Osaka Half 2024)
Kazuki Matsumura (Aichi Seiko) - 1:01:55 (21st, National Corporate Half 2023)

Women
Waganesh Mekasha (Ethiopia) - 2:20:44 (1st, Toronto 2024)
Sisay Meseret Gola (Ethiopia) - 2:20:50 (2nd, Seville 2022)
Yeshi Kalayu Chekole (Ethiopia) - 2:21:17 (3rd, Seville 2022)
Afera Godfay (Ethiopia) - 2:21:50 (3rd, Toronto 2024)
Amid Fozya Jamal (Ethiopia) - 2:21:53 (5th, Dubai 2024)
Mirai Waku (Japan/Universal Entertainment) - 2:25:58 (7th, Nagoya 2023)
Daiana Ocampo (Argentina) - 2:26:24 (7th, Hamburg 2024)
Kuba Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:28:48 (2nd, Fuzhou 2023)
Nanami Aoki (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:30:01 (8th, Osaka 2023)
Tara Palm (Australia) - 2:32:22 (21st, Berlin 2024)
Anna Matsuda (Japan/Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 2:34:33 (15th, Osaka 2023)
Nera Jareb (Australia) - 2:35:00 (6th, Gold Coast 2022)

photo © 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
text © 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

j said…
Top debutants and do-overs:
Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) 1:00:35
Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) 1:00:41
Koki Kamata (Yakult) 1:00:47
Soshi Suzuki (Yaskawa Denki) 1:00:49
Ken Yokote (Fujitsu) 1:01:18
Ryo Goda (Yaskawa Denki) 1:01:22
Taiyo Iwasaki (JFE Steel) 1:01:22
Hiroki Abe (Sumitomo Denko) 1:01:26
Naoto Hashimoto (Otsuka Seiyaku) 1:01:32
Asahi Kuroda (Aoyama Gakuin University) 1:01:39
Yuma Nozawa (Soka University) 1:01:46
Yuki Osaka (Osaka Police) 1:01:57
February 4, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Anonymous said…
Interested to see if Kengo Suzuki can get back to his top form, I have my doubts he'll be back at his PB level but let's see.

Kuroda will debut and said he wants to break Wakabayashi's new record.
Hara said he could run in 2hours and 5 (not sure if he said sub 2.05 or just 2.05 range, not a japanese speaker myself), if conditions are good he thinks he has good chances of beating Wakabayashi's time.
If it happens, which is possible...wow.
February 4, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

'CAS Clears Japan’s Olympic Silver Medallist Ikeda of Doping, Overturns Ban'

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/23/cas-clears-japans-olympic-silver-medallist-ikeda-of-doping-overturns-ban The AIU's missteps in this case cost Tokyo Olympics and Oregon World Championships 20 km race walk silver medalist Koki Ikeda , a Toyo University graduate who competes for the Asahi Kasei corporate team, the chance to represent Japan at a home soil World Championships last year. It is almost unheard of for an athlete to successfully fight a biological passport suspension as Ikeda did, making this a highly significant case. The CAS' press release about its decision stated: "The Panel stressed that the Athlete did not merely assert his position on the ABP abnormalities but adduced very extensive evidence in support of his explanations. In this highly complex case, the evidence brought during the CAS proceedings was far more abundant and specific than during the first instance proceedings with the WA Disciplinary Tribunal, implying the CAS Panel had further ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waseda Leads Top 7 Teams Under Izumo Ekiden CR, Ivy League Best-Ever 3rd (updated)

3rd last year, Waseda University scored its first Izumo Ekiden win since 2010, taking almost 2 minutes off the CR and leading the top 7 teams under the old record of 2:07:51 for the complete 6-stage, 45.1 km course. Waseda was 16 seconds back in 7th after the First Stage, but its 2nd runner Ojiro Honda made that up easily and put them 6 seconds out front. A massive 22:56 CR for the 8.5 km Third Stage by Shadrack Kipkemei (Nihon Univ.) dropped Waseda back to 2nd even though its runner Ryuki Suzuki broke the old CR too, but back-to-back CR on the next 2 stages by 1st-year Haruki Niizuma and Shunpei Yamaguchi put anchor Shinsaku Kudo out of reach of the rest of the field. Kudo duly won the 10.2 km anchor stage in 29:00, bypassing a 2:06 time entirely for a new 2:05:56 CR, just under 2:48/km average pace for the complete course. Defending champ Koku Gakuin University struggled a bit in the first half of the race but came on strong in the longer second half with 4th and 5th runners...
8 comments
Read more

Meijo Back With Morinomiyako Ekiden CR for National University Title

The last big dynasty school in Japanese women's distance running with 7-straight wins at October's Morinomiyako Ekiden from 2017 to 2023 and 6-straight titles at the season-ending Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden from 2018 to 2023, Meijo University came back from a 3rd-place finish last year to win the 44th Morinomiyako Ekiden again, leading almost start-to-finish to set a 2:02:21 CR for the 6-stage, 38.0 km course in Sendai. 12 second back in 2nd after the opening leg, collegiate 3000 mSC champ Nozomi Kondo put Meijo out front with a 12:36 CR for the 4.0 km Second Stage, and the rest of the team never looked back. The biggest threat to a Meijo win was on the 9.2 m Fifth Stage, where this year's collegiate 10000 m winner Sarah Wanjiru from last year's runner-up Daito Bunka University started 50 seconds back from Meijo 1st-year Mao Kimura . In taking the 10000 m title Wanjiru had outrun Kimura by over a minute, but today Kimura was a revelation, strong and smooth out fr...
1 comment
Read more