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

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

Kipyegon Repeats, Toyo Wins Hakone Ekiden Qualifier in First Appearance in 21 Years

Back for the first time in 21 years after a disastrous 14th-place finish at the 102nd Hakone Ekiden this past January, Toyo University hit one out of western Tokyo's Showa Kinen Park with a solid win at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai, the half marathon that serves as the official qualifying race for the 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The top 10 teams in the Hakone auto-qualify for the following year, with the rest having to run the Yosenkai in October with a squad of 10 to 16 runners out of which the top 10 score on aggregate time, with the 10 fastest schools joining the Hakone field and top individuals from non-qualifying teams names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team to make up the complete Hakone field of 21. Driven in large part by an aggressive run from 3rd-year Yu Miyazaki , one of only 2 Japanese athletes to go with the big African contingent up front, Toyo won in 10:31:30, 1:03:09 or 2:59.6/km per athlete. As the first team to have broken the 3:00/km average pace barrie...
1 comment
Read more

Ngetich and Mutiso Take Down Tokyo Legacy Half CR

In its 5th edition the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon scored 2 new course records via Kenyans from the Ikaika agency, with 10 km WR holder Agnes Ngetich blasting 3 minutes off the old record to win by over 4 in 1:04:23, and Alexander Mutiso skimming just 1 second under the CR for the win by 5 seconds in 59:51. The 2 races played out completely differently, even if the paydays were the same for the winners. Surrounded by an envelope of male runners all the way to the final 100 m, Ngetich was out hard on the downhill in the first 5 km, hitting it on sub-64 pace in 15:08 before leveling out on the flat middle 10 km. Her next 2 splits projected to 1:04:09 and 1:04:17, and even with the uphill back to the stadium in the last 5 km she didn't fall far off from that, winning in 1:04:23. Runner-up Tabitha Njeri Kamau was nearly a mile back in 1:08:28, with Kamau's Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo teammate Kazuna Kanetomo dropping a 1:10:17 PB for 3rd. Now an independent, track Olympian Kaede Ha...
2 comments
Read more