Ng’eno battles strong winds to win Perth Marathon

Kenyan marathoner Dominic Ng’eno overcame strong headwinds to win the Perth Running Festival Marathon in Australia on Sunday, clocking 2:16:53.

Ng’eno, who had targeted the course record, was on course for a much faster finish before difficult conditions, particularly the headwinds over the final nine kilometres, slowed him down.

Japan’s Ryoma Takeuchi finished second in 2:17:46, while Australia’s Matt Smith was third in 2:19:50, according to World Athletics results.

The Kenyan had arrived in Perth hoping to challenge the course record of 2:16:43, set by compatriot Paul Eyanae in 2024. He ultimately fell 10 seconds short despite securing victory over an international field.

The win adds to Ng’eno’s international road racing achievements, which include victory at the Los Angeles Marathon in March 2024, when he clocked 2:10:20 to beat compatriot Cosmas Kiplimo by five seconds.

He also finished third at the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands in October 2023 in 2:07:26, before setting his current marathon personal best of 2:06:37 in Málaga, Spain, on April 13, 2025.