Japanese men showed up in force at the 45th ASICS Gold Coast Marathon Sunday in Australia, taking the top 6 spots and 8 of the top 10 led by a 2:07:33 course record by Yuki Takei. Expert pacing by World Marathon Majors-bound Tsubasa Ichiyama and Masato Arao kept things on track to break the 2:07:40 CR by 30 seconds until Arao stepped off at 30 km, a 30 km that saw at least two falls, one by 2:08:40 runner Ryoma Takeuchi at 23 km and another by debuting 61-minute half marathoner Tatsuya Tsunashima at 27 km. In Tsunashima's case it was enough to knock him out of the race when he hit his head on the pavement, send to the hospital post-race for examination.
When Arao stepped off former Aoyama Gakuin University ekiden specialist Aoi Ota went straight to the front, looking to make up for a stellar and predictable DNF at this year's Tokyo Marathon in prep for Berlin by getting an easy finish under his belt. Right on him was Yuki Takei, 2:08:06 in Osaka the week before Tokyo. Ota tried to get away, but around the 36 km turnaround Takei put him out of commission, surging away to break the CR by 7 seconds with a 2:07:33 PB for the win.
Ota faded hard, shuffling in to his first marathon finish in 2:08:31 for 2nd. Right behind him, Takeuchi shook off his mid-race fall with a 2-second PB for 3rd in 2:08:38, heading straight to the medical tent post-race for treatment on the cuts and scrapes on his legs and arms. Mizuki Higashi, Wataru Tochigi and Yuto Imae took the next 3 spots, with American Josh Izewski the top non-Japanese at 7th in 2:11:00. Only one African made the top 10, Kenyan Mathew Samperu running 2:12:24 for 8th as all 3 top-ranked Ethiopians dropped out mid-race. Overall it may have been the most dominant Japanese men's marathon outside Japan in history.
2-time women's winner Rodah Tanui vanished in the early going, leaving the rest of the women to back off the planned 2:24:00 pace to something more in the 2:28 range. Even that was a war of attrition, with debuting 68-minute half marathoner Tegest Ymer out kicking 44-year-old Caroline Kilel for the win 2:29:27 to 2:29:44. Alemtsehay Zerihun picked up 3rd in 2:31:17, with no Japanese women making the top 10.
In 4th, Odekta Elvina Naibaho cut 15 seconds off the Indonesian national record in 2:31:34, running down Mongolian half marathon NR holder Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh for top Asian honors. In parallel, both Robi Syianturi and Rikki Simbolon broke the Indonesia men's NR of 2:17:16 set by Syianturi in Valencia last December, Syianturi getting the new record in 2:15:04 and Simbolon under 2:16 too in 2:15:48.
45th ASICS Gold Coast Marathon
Top Results
Gold Coast, Australia, 6 July 2025
Men
1. Yuki Takei (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:07:33 - CR, PB
2. Aoi Ota (Japan/GMO) - 2:08:31 - PB
3. Ryoma Takeuchi (Japan/ND Software) - 2:08:38 - PB
4. Mizuki Higashi (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 2:09:31
5. Wataru Tochigi (Japan/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:10:28 - PB
6. Yuto Imae (Japan/GMO) - 2:10:51 - debut
7. Josh Iżewski (U.S.A.) - 2:11:00
8. Mathew Samperu (Kenya) - 2:12:24
9. Akihiro Kaneko (Japan/Comodi Iida) - 2:13:05
10. Yudai Fukuda (Japan) - 2:13:19 - PB
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13. Robi Syianturi (Indonesia) - 2:15:04 - NR
15. Rikki Simbolon (Indonesia) - 2:15:48 (NR)
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DNF - Gizealew Ayana (Ethiopia)
DNF - Fikade Debele (Ethiopia)
DNF - Tatsuya Tsunashima (Japan/YKK)
DNF - Derese Workneh (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin)
Women
1. Tegest Ymer (Ethiopia) - 2:29:27 - debut
2. Caroline Kilel (Kenya) - 2:29:44
3. Alemtsehay Zerihun (Ethiopia) - 2:31:17
4. Odekta Elvina Naibaho (Indonesia) - 2:31:34 - NR
5. Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) - 2:32:23
6. Rebecca Chesir (Kenya) - 2:34:32
7. Simone McInnes (Australia) - 2:37:05 - PB
8. Reine Ringi (Estonia) - 2:37:32
9. Radka Kahlefeldt (Australia) - 2:42:28
10. Ella McCartney (Australia) - 2:43:20
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DNF - Rodah Tanui (Kenya)
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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