TOKYO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Birhanu Legese and Ruti Aga won the men's and women's races respectively in the Tokyo Marathon here on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Legese timed in 2:04:48 in the men's race for his maiden victory in the Tokyo marathon.
The women's title also went to an Ethiopian athlete as Aga finished in 2:20:40 to retain the crown for the second straight year.
The best local male runner was Kensuke Horio who finished in the fifth place. Horio, a senior university student, completed his first marathon with 2:10:21.
After more than two hours in the cold rainy weather, he received the chance to participate in the Marathon Grand Championship (MGC) in September, which will serve as the trial for Tokyo Olympics.
Japan's Masato Imai, Takuya Fujikawa and Daichi Kamino also qualified for the MGC.
In the women's race, Mao Ichiyama ranked the highest among Japanese female runners with 2:24:33 in the seventh place. However, she did not qualify for the MGC, missing by 33 seconds.
The completion rate this year stood at 94.3 percent, the second lowest in the history of Tokyo Marathon, as temperatures dropped to around five degree Centigrade in the steady rain.
The MGC is scheduled to take place on Sept. 15 in Tokyo. The winner will automatically acquire a place to compete in the 2020 Olympics on behalf of Japan.
