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Kenyan-born Eunice Chumba won silver at Nagoya Women’s Marathon after being narrowly beaten by Yuka Ando in a thrilling final sprint.
Kenyan-born runner Eunice Chumba secured a commendable second-place finish at the 42nd edition of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on Sunday.
Despite leading for a significant portion of the race, Chumba was overtaken in the final stages by Japan's Yuka Ando who surged ahead to claim her first-ever marathon victory in a personal best time of 2:21.18.
Chumba entered the race as a favorite having previously clocked an impressive time of 2:20.02 at the Seoul Marathon.
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The 30 year-old's performance in Nagoya was eagerly anticipated, and she did not disappoint, finishing just seven seconds behind Ando in 2:21.25.
The race commenced under chilly conditions, with temperatures hovering around 5C.
The early stages saw Ando, alongside fellow Japanese runners Ayuko Suzuki and Rika Kaseda, forming a leading pack with 2022 World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia and Chumba.
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This group set a brisk pace, crossing the halfway mark inside the 2:20 pace.
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However, as the race progressed, the tempo slightly dropped, and the leading pack began to disintegrate.
Chumba and Gebreslase initially managed to create a gap, showcasing their strength and strategic racing.
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Nevertheless, Gebreslase's exit at approximately 36km left Chumba to fend off the challenge from the Japanese contingent alone.
Ando’s decisive move came at the 39km mark, where she caught up with Chumba and matched her stride for stride before unleashing a powerful sprint in the last 800 metres to secure victory.
Reflecting on her victory, Ando expressed profound gratitude towards those who supported her journey.
"There are many people who have helped me to get this far, and I’m filled with gratitude. I can’t go to Paris, but I’m really happy that I won. It was really hard when I fell behind the lead pack, but I was able to catch up by running, only focusing on going forward," she said as per World Athletics.
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Ayuko Suzuki, completing the podium, finished third in a new personal best time of 2:22.33.
Leading results
1 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:18
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:21:25
3 Ayuko Suzuki (JPN) 2:21:33
4 Rika Kaseda (JPN) 2:22:11
5 Yuyu Xia (CHN) 2:25:45
6 Delvine Meringor (ROU) 2:26:09
7 Hikari Ohnishi (JPN) 2:26:12
8 Natsuki Oomori (JPN) 2:26:54
9 Camille French (NZL) 2:28:23
10 Giovanna Epis (ITA) 2:28:24
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