Kenyan stars shine across global marathons

Catherine Cherotich in a previous race/ HANDOUT

Enock Onchari and Catherine Cherotich delivered impressive performances on Sunday morning, winning the New Taipei Marathon titles.

Onchari produced a perfectly timed run to win the men’s title in 2:12:46, edging out Ethiopia’s Haimro Alame, who finished second in 2:12:57, while Kenya’s Nicholas Kirwa completed the podium in 2:14:25.

The victory marked a welcome turnaround for the 27-year-old Kenyan, who had opened his season with a modest 10th-place finish at the Xiamen Marathon in January after clocking 2:14:25.

That race was dominated by Ethiopian runners, with Dawit Wolde winning in 2:09:18, followed closely by Hailemaryam Kiros in 2:09:20, while Addisu Gobena sealed third place in 2:09:22.

Despite that setback, Onchari has steadily built an impressive résumé over the marathon distance. He won the Wuxi Marathon in 2023 with a time of 2:07:19 and the Harbin Marathon, where he clocked 2:10:51.

The Kenyan also finished runner-up at the Enschede Marathon in 2022, recording 2:07:52 behind compatriot Julius Tuwei, who won the race in 2:07:43.

Onchari further demonstrated his consistency on the global stage with a third-place finish at the Barcelona Marathon last year, clocking 2:05:20 behind Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Deriba (2:04:13) and Kenya’s Cornelius Kiplagat (2:04:54).

In the women’s race, Cherotich produced a composed performance to clinch victory in 2:32:32, holding off fellow Kenyan Ivyne Jeruto, who finished second in 2:33:12, while Ethiopia’s Roman Gidey placed third in 2:33:47.

The 32-year-old entered the race after a mixed 2025 campaign that saw her finish third at the Vienna City Marathon with 2:25:45 before placing fourth at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2:21:40.

Cherotich, however, boasts a solid marathon record. She won the Skopje Marathon in 2022 with a time of 2:38:41, and has remained a consistent contender across the European road racing circuit.

In 2024, she finished second at the Taipei City Marathon in 2:38:13, narrowly missing victory to Ethiopia’s Amid Jemal, who won in 2:38:10.

Elsewhere, Gilbert Kibet delivered another strong performance at the Seoul Marathon, securing a podium finish in 2:04:32.

Kibet finished third behind Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu, who set a new course record of 2:04:23, while Getaneh Molla placed second in 2:04:25.

The Kenyan had endured a mixed 2025 season, finishing sixth at the Daegu Marathon in 2:06:39, seventh at the Jilin Marathon in 2:10:20, and third at the Taiyuan Marathon with 2:09:36.

At the Barcelona Marathon, Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay produced a historic performance in the women’s race, setting a new national record of 2:10:53.

She finished ahead of Kenya’s Joan Kiplimo, who placed second in 2:18:42, and Ethiopia’s Zeineba Worku, who took third in 2:18:49.

Uganda’s Abel Chelangat won the men's race in 2:04:57, beating Kenya’s Patrick Mosin, who finished second in 2:05:01, while Jonathan Korir completed the podium in 2:05:29.