Nishiyama battles for the win until the closing stages and takes second as top Japanese for the second year in a row
The winner of the race was Ethiopia’s Bayerin Yegzaw, who stopped the clock at 2:07:51 (provisional). Just five seconds later, Yusuke Nishiyama followed him home in 2:07:56, showing gritty determination to secure second place for the second consecutive year. He stayed in the fight for victory right into the final stages, igniting the atmosphere at the Fukuoka International Marathon.
Hosoya and Oishi follow – three Japanese runners book their MGC tickets
The leading results were as follows (all times provisional):
| Place | Athlete | Affiliation | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayerin Yegzaw | Ethiopia | 2:07:51 | |
| 2 | Yusuke Nishiyama | Toyota Motor | 2:07:56 | Top Japanese, MGC qualifier (provisional) |
| 3 | Kyōhei Hosoya | Kurosaki Harima | 2:08:09 | MGC qualifier (provisional) |
| 4 | Takumi Ōishi | Suzuki | 2:08:51 | MGC qualifier (provisional) |
| 5 | Vincent Riamoi | Suzuki | 2:09:25 |
These top three Japanese athletes – Nishiyama, Hosoya and Ōishi – all cleared the MGC qualifying standard of “within 2:09:00 and within the top six Japanese finishers,” earning their tickets to the Marathon Grand Championship.
Official race information
For full details and official results, see the race website: Fukuoka International Marathon official site
Nishiyama’s strengths: world-level experience, consistency and toughness
Nishiyama made his marathon debut at the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in 2022, winning in 2:07:47. He then went on to the World Championships in Oregon, where he finished 13th as the top Japanese athlete, an excellent performance on his global debut.
Although he could only manage 46th at the Marathon Grand Championship for the Paris Olympics, he reset his personal best to 2:06:31 at the Tokyo Marathon 2024. He was also second at the previous Fukuoka International Marathon in 2:06:54, underlining his ability to run at a consistently high level.
Summary
Having accumulated experience on the world stage, Nishiyama came into this year’s Fukuoka race with a strong desire for “revenge.” The result was another second place, making it two years in a row, but there was no smile on his face at the finish. He summed up his feelings by saying, “I’m extremely frustrated. My biggest goal is the Japanese record (2:04:56), and I want to build toward that from here.” All eyes will be on how he uses this race as a springboard toward that target.
