Made History. Tanzanian Runner Alphonse Simba Becomes Marathon World Champion
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
The 2025 World Athletics Championships are currently underway in Japan. On the second day of competition, the men’s marathon took place, producing a historic outcome.
Details: Tanzanian athlete Alphonse Simba claimed the marathon world title. He overtook his rival on the final lap, with judges determining that Simba edged out Germany’s Amanal Petros for victory by just 0.03 seconds.
Simba becomes Tanzania’s first-ever world champion. He improved his previous personal best by 4.44 seconds.
Quote: “I’m thrilled because I’ve made history. Tanzania has never had a world champion before, so this is a historic moment. I’m very happy, but it was tough. The competition here is fierce, and everyone is focused on winning,” Simba said after his victory.
The 2025 World Championships in Japan will run from September 13 to 21. Across nine days of competition, 49 sets of medals will be contested in 24 men’s events, 24 women’s events, and one mixed discipline.
Reminder: The World Athletics Federation announced the introduction of genetic testing to determine women’s eligibility for competition. The new rule will take effect on September 1, immediately ahead of the World Athletics Championships, which begin on September 13.
