Ugandan runner Stella Chesang secured a commanding win at the Osaka Women’s Marathon on January 25, 2026, finishing in 2:19:31 and becoming the first Ugandan woman to triumph in a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon. She broke away in the final stages, leading three others under 2:20 hours. The race featured a competitive lead pack that thinned out over the distance.
The Osaka Women’s Marathon unfolded on Sunday, January 25, 2026, with Stella Chesang emerging as the standout performer. The Ugandan national record-holder and 2018 Commonwealth 10,000m champion, who placed 12th in the marathon at the previous year’s World Championships, conserved her energy in a large lead group during the early stages.
A pack including defending champion Workenesh Edesa of Ethiopia, Bedatu Hirpa of Ethiopia, Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda, Mao Uesugi, Nanaka Izawa, and debutante Mikuni Yada passed 5km in 16:44 and 10km in 33:16. Izawa began to fade just before 15km, while Matsuda lost contact shortly before 17km. At 20km, marked in 1:06:30, six runners remained ahead, with Matsuda 31 seconds back. The leaders hit the halfway point in 1:10:13, though Uesugi and Izawa briefly dropped before rejoining.
Izawa fell away permanently before 25km, leaving Yada, Edesa, Chesang, and Hirpa together at that mark in 1:22:59, pursued by Uesugi and Izawa. Pacemakers withdrew at 30km (1:39:21), prompting Yada to increase the pace. The group fragmented after 38km, and by 40km, Chesang led in 2:12:23, closely followed by Hirpa, Edesa, and Yada.
Yada briefly overtook Hirpa and Edesa, but Chesang regained control, leading a trio through 41km and surging to victory in 2:19:31. Hirpa finished second in 2:19:54, Edesa third in 2:19:56, and Yada fourth in 2:19:57—marking the fastest marathon debut by a Japanese woman and placing her sixth on Japan’s all-time list. Uesugi was fifth in 2:23:07, followed by Rie Kawauchi in 2:24:16, Matsuda in 2:26:16, and Izawa in 2:27:45.
Chesang’s tactical race highlighted her endurance, solidifying her status in international marathon circuits.
