Tanzanian invitee Samson Ramadhani shook off Ethiopia's Teferi Wodajo with three kilometers to go on Sunday to win the Beppu-Oita marathon for his first marathon victory.
In only his second marathon race, Ramadhani pulled away from the four-man leading group along with Wodajo to set up a heated duel before surging ahead and crossing the finish line at Oita municipal stadium in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 24 seconds.
Wodajo, who took a spill early in the race, finished runnerup in 2:10:18 and Australian Nick Harrison third in 2:10:22.
Yohei Sato turned in the best performance among Japanese runners in his marathon debut, finishing fourth in 2:10:43 after having leg cramps in the late stages of the 42.195-km race.