【Report】Press Conference (Elite Athletes)

The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2025 Press Conference was held at the Tokyo National Stadium at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2025, two days before the race.

The women participating in the elite race were introduced first with Rebecca Mwangi (Kenya), Meskerem Mamo (Ethiopia) and Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Corporation) taking the stage.

Mwangi used to belong to a corporate team in Japan and commented in Japanese with a smile. “I will not share my target time, but I hope to run a good race.” This will be her first half marathon, and she shared her determination. “I felt that I can do this. This is the right time to run.”

This is also the first half marathon for Mamo. She emphasized that she is in good condition. “Preparations are going well, and my physical condition is good. I will be happy with a time in the 1:06:00 range.” She will be aiming to break the course record of 1:07:27.

Kawamura has a personal best of 1:08:58 and showcased how calm she is. “I don’t often have much fluctuation in my condition, so it’s normal.” She seemed excited about starting and finishing at the Tokyo National Stadium where the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 was held. “Seeing my running mates perform so well motivated me, and I want to give it my best as well.”

In the men’s field, Selemon Barega (Ethiopia), Benard Langat (Honda) and Yamato Yoshii (Toyota Motor) took to the stage.

Barega won gold in the men’s 10,000 meter at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games reflected emotionally on the experience. “It makes me happy every time I come back to Tokyo where I won the Olympic medal.” With a personal best of 57:50, he has his sights on breaking the current course record of 59:52 which was set last year. “I came to win. I prepared to be able to set a new course record.”

Langat is also skilled and holds a personal record of 59:58. He expressed his fierce determination. “My condition is not bad. I will give it my all in the race on Sunday.”

Japanese athlete Yoshii shared his goal. ”First of all, I want to be the top Japanese finisher and achieve a high rank.” He shared his determination to keep up with the international runners. “I want to see how much I can run by staying close to the leaders.” He also vowed to “running under 61 minutes, which was the cutoff time for placing until last year.”

Race Director Yasuhiro Oshima shared his prospects for the race. “The international runners will likely lead the race.” For the Japanese runners, he has hopes for Kawamura and last year’s top Japanese finisher Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) in the women’s field to compete for top spots. In the men’s field, he shared his anticipation that Yoshii will “hopefully run a race that can break the Japan record (59:27).”

The first Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon was held in 2022, and this marks the fourth event. The race was established to carry on the creativity and legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This year, the race boasts a new concept - “TOKYO AUTHENTIC” - symbolizing the new authenticity of a half marathon that is unique to the metropolis, Tokyo.

The elite race will start at 8:05 a.m. JST on Sunday, October 19, 2025.