Reviewed by Richard KimaroTanzania sports betting writer
Published 16 September 2026
Alphonce Simbu won the men’s marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo by three hundredths of a second, the narrowest margin in the history of the championship marathon and Tanzania’s first gold medal at a global athletics championship.
Simbu and Germany’s Amanal Petros were both given the same time, 2:09:48. The result stood at 0.03 seconds. Italy’s Iliass Aouani took bronze in 2:09:53.
Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele and Deresa Geleta both failed to finish.
What it meant at home
Tanzania had never won gold at a World Athletics Championships, and had never won a title at any global athletics championship. Silver medals, most recently Christopher Isegwe’s in the marathon in Helsinki in 2005, were the closest the country had come, and Simbu himself had taken bronze over the same distance at the 2017 World Championships in London. He was second at the Boston Marathon earlier in 2025.
Simbu said afterwards that the day meant celebrations in Tanzania and that the country had written new history.
Where to bet: marathon majors are the one part of Tanzanian athletics the books price properly. Betway and SportPesa, both licensed by the Gaming Board of Tanzania, offer outright winner and head to head markets in Tanzanian shillings with mobile money deposits. Compare them before you stake. Our guide to the best betting sites in Tanzania covers licensing and withdrawal times, and there is more in Tanzania athletics news from AXN Sports. 18+. Gamble responsibly.
