Geoffrey Kamworor made a winning debut at the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday, clocking 2:04:33 to claim victory in the race’s 44th edition.
The 32-year-old became the first Kenyan to win in Rotterdam since Marius Kipserem triumphed in 2019 with a time of 2:04:11. In the intervening years, Belgium’s Bashir Abdi and the Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye had each won the race twice.
Kamworor’s win was his third marathon title, adding to his previous victories at the 2017 and 2019 New York Marathons. It also marked his return to competition after more than a year, having last raced in the 2024 London Marathon where he finished second.
He crossed the line 33 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa, who clocked 2:05:06, while Regasa’s compatriot Chimdessa Debele settled for third in 2:05:26.
Nineteen other Kenyans featured in the men’s race, with Kennedy Kimutai (2:05:57), Alex Masai (2:08:03), and Raphael Kolian (2:08:55) finishing fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Former Rotterdam winner Kenneth Kipkemoi, who claimed the title in 2018, placed 20th in 2:12:34.
In the women’s race, 26-year-old Jackline Cherono led the field to win in 2:21:14, beating Ethiopians Aminet Ahmed (2:22:14) and Azmera Gebru (2:22:15) into second and third place. Emily Chebet, who placed 12th in 2:28:22, was the only other Kenyan woman in the top 20.
Cherono’s win extended a back-and-forth trend between Kenya and Ethiopia at the Rotterdam Marathon, with the title alternating between athletes from the two nations for eight straight editions. Other recent Kenyan winners include Eunice Chumba (2023), Stella Barsosio (2021), and Visiline Jepkesho (2018).
Meanwhile, in Paris, 22-year-old Bernard Biwott underlined his rising profile by winning the 2025 Paris Marathon in a personal best time of 2:05:25.
Biwott, who claimed victory in Frankfurt last year, secured back-to-back marathon wins with Sunday’s triumph. His win was the 15th by a Kenyan man in Paris and the first since Elisha Rotich’s course record in 2021.
He ended Ethiopia’s three-year hold on the title, with Dinkalem Ayele finishing sixth in 2:07:54 as their best performer. Djibouti’s Ibrahim Hassan (2:06:13) came second, while Kenyan Sila Kiptoo took third in 2:06:21.
Four more Kenyans finished in the top 10: Enock Kinyamal (2:06:32, fourth), Dominic Ng’eno (2:06:37, fifth), Enock Kibichy (2:08:29, eighth), and Timothy Kibet (2:08:38, tenth).
In the women’s race, Kenya’s Angela Tanui ran 2:21:07 to place third behind Ethiopians Bedatu Hirpa (2:20:45) and Dera Dida (2:20:49). Other Kenyan top-10 finishers were Janet Ruguru (2:24:36, sixth), Judit Jeptum (2:25:30, eighth), and Agnes Keino (2:26:09, ninth). Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri took fourth in 2:21:31.
