SYDNEY, Australia — 30 August 2026: Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena broke the Sydney Marathon men’s course record on Sunday, finishing in 2:04:42, while Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race in 2:18:31. The two victories placed East African runners at the centre of one of the world’s seven major marathons.
Gobena finished four seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Chimdessa Debele. Jepchirchir won by more than three minutes, with fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai taking second place in 2:22:11.
Who won the 2026 Sydney Marathon? Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena won the men’s race in a course-record 2:04:42, beating Chimdessa Debele by four seconds. Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race in 2:18:31, ahead of Irine Cheptai, to secure her fourth World Marathon Major victory.
Gobena turns last year’s second place into a record
Gobena returned to Sydney after finishing second in 2025 and left with both the title and the course record. World Athletics’ official report records his winning time as 2:04:42, lowering the previous mark of 2:06:06 set by Hailemaryam Kiros in 2025.
The men remained closely grouped deep into the race. Gobena and Debele finally separated from the remaining contenders near the finish, before Gobena produced the decisive surge. Reuters reported that the 21-year-old’s performance was the fastest marathon ever run on Australian soil.
Debele crossed in 2:04:46. Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana was third in 2:04:57, the same official time recorded for Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu in fourth place. The top seven men all finished inside the previous Sydney course record, underlining the depth and speed of the African-led field.
Gobena’s victory was his second over the marathon distance. He had won on his debut in Dubai in 2024 before placing second in Sydney the following year. The official Abbott World Marathon Majors video showed his finish and post-race celebration as race clips began spreading online.
Jepchirchir adds Sydney to three earlier major wins
The women’s race followed a different pattern. Kenya’s Priscah Cherono established an aggressive early lead, while Jepchirchir and Cheptai gradually reduced the gap. Jepchirchir then moved clear after 30 kilometres and expanded her advantage through the closing stages.
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Gobena Sets Sydney Record as Jepchirchir Wins Women’s Race
Aug 30, 2026
Aug 30, 2026
4 min read
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SYDNEY, Australia — 30 August 2026: Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena broke the Sydney Marathon men’s course record on Sunday, finishing in 2:04:42, while Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race in 2:18:31. The two victories placed East African runners at the centre of one of the world’s seven major marathons.
Gobena finished four seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Chimdessa Debele. Jepchirchir won by more than three minutes, with fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai taking second place in 2:22:11.
Who won the 2026 Sydney Marathon? Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena won the men’s race in a course-record 2:04:42, beating Chimdessa Debele by four seconds. Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race in 2:18:31, ahead of Irine Cheptai, to secure her fourth World Marathon Major victory.
Gobena turns last year’s second place into a record
Gobena returned to Sydney after finishing second in 2025 and left with both the title and the course record. World Athletics’ official report records his winning time as 2:04:42, lowering the previous mark of 2:06:06 set by Hailemaryam Kiros in 2025.
The men remained closely grouped deep into the race. Gobena and Debele finally separated from the remaining contenders near the finish, before Gobena produced the decisive surge. Reuters reported that the 21-year-old’s performance was the fastest marathon ever run on Australian soil.
Debele crossed in 2:04:46. Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana was third in 2:04:57, the same official time recorded for Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu in fourth place. The top seven men all finished inside the previous Sydney course record, underlining the depth and speed of the African-led field.
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Gobena’s victory was his second over the marathon distance. He had won on his debut in Dubai in 2024 before placing second in Sydney the following year. The official Abbott World Marathon Majors video showed his finish and post-race celebration as race clips began spreading online.
Jepchirchir adds Sydney to three earlier major wins
The women’s race followed a different pattern. Kenya’s Priscah Cherono established an aggressive early lead, while Jepchirchir and Cheptai gradually reduced the gap. Jepchirchir then moved clear after 30 kilometres and expanded her advantage through the closing stages.
She finished in 2:18:31, only nine seconds outside Sifan Hassan’s 2025 Sydney record of 2:18:22. Cheptai secured a Kenyan one-two in 2:22:11, while Ethiopia’s Shure Demise took third in 2:22:33.
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The victory was Jepchirchir’s fourth in the World Marathon Majors series. She had previously won New York in 2021, Boston in 2022 and London in 2024. Runner’s World’s race account also noted that Sydney was her return to the marathon after a stress fracture disrupted her preparations for London earlier in 2026.
For XTRAfrica readers, the result extends a familiar East African story across several countries rather than one flag alone. Ethiopians occupied the first two men’s places, while Ramakongoana put Lesotho on the podium. Kenya supplied the first two women, and Uganda’s Stella Chesang finished seventh. Tanzania’s Simbu narrowly missed the men’s podium.
XTRAfrica has previously covered Jepchirchir’s women-only world record at the 2024 London Marathon, East Africa’s continuing marathon dominance and Asbel Rutto’s Rome Marathon record. Sydney adds a new chapter: an Ethiopian men’s record alongside another Kenyan women’s major victory.
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Why the Sydney result matters
Sydney joined the World Marathon Majors in 2025, expanding the series beyond Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Tokyo. Winning there now carries the same major-series status, making Gobena’s first major title and Jepchirchir’s fourth important career milestones.
The race also produced unusually fast depth. Seven men beat the old course record, and the top four represented Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Lesotho and Tanzania. In the women’s race, athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia filled six of the first seven positions, with Uganda completing that group.
The immediate next step is official athlete and federation reaction, including any national recognition in Ethiopia and Kenya. The results themselves are settled: Gobena owns the new men’s Sydney course record, and Jepchirchir is the 2026 women’s champion.
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