Wafula dominates Napoli City Half Marathon

A total of 7,000 runners from 101 countries came to cross the finish line at the much-anticipated 2025 Napoli City Half Marathon, confirming its status as a grand celebration and one of the world’s most significant races.

At the front of the race, the battle for victory delivered an exciting spectacle. The men’s race was won by Kenyan runner Emmanuel Wafula, who ran solo at an incredible pace, claiming victory in 59:42, a new personal best. Fellow Kenyan Simon Maywa took second place in 1:00:26, while Edward Koonyo finished third in 1:00:37. Italy’s Yohanes Chiappinelli put on a remarkable comeback from eighth place to finish fourth in 1:01:01, close to his personal best. However, he fell short of breaking the Italian half marathon record of 59:26, set by Yeman Crippa in 2022 on the same streets of Naples.

In the early stages of the race, the leading group included Israel’s Maru Teferi and Kenyans Simon Maywa and Emmanuel Waffula, closely followed by Chiappinelli and Edward Konana Koonyo, who took control around the 9 km mark, leaving Teferi behind. At the 10 km mark, runners Wafula, Maywa, and Koonyo clocked 28:03, ahead of the course record pace. Teferi followed in 28:11, with a compact chase group, including Ethiopia’s Baryau Teka Assefa and Kenyans Zacharia Krop and Andrew Lorot, all passing in 28:23. Chiappinelli, the first Italian, was eighth in 28:31, while Meucci and Mondazzi crossed in 29:39.

As the race reached Corso Umberto around km 12, Wafula surged ahead, dropping Koonyo, who reached km 13 in 36:30, further extending the gap on the course record. Around km 15, Chiappinelli began his comeback, using his strength on slight uphill sections to his advantage. Returning to the Lungomare Caracciolo, Wafula extended his lead and took on the tunnel climb in full control, eventually crossing the finish line solo. Chiappinelli’s strong push in the final kilometers secured him a fourth-place finish in 1:01:01. The top three Italian finishers were Mondazzi in 1:03:22 and Daniele Meucci in 1:03:24.

“The pace was fast right from the start—everyone went out really strong” said Yohanes Chiappinelli. “I tried to keep up, but I felt it was too fast for me, so I decided to stick to my own rhythm. I was running alone for most of the race, using the runners ahead as reference points. I finished in a respectable fourth place; I had hoped for a slightly better time, but I knew I wasn’t at my peak. I’m happy I finished strong, passing several competitors in the last two kilometers. I would have loved to deliver a great result for the fans and organizers, as the Napoli City Half Marathon is an important stepping stone for my season.”

The event featured the Staffetta Charity Program, where teams of two runners split the half marathon distance into 10 km + 11.0975 km segments. Boris Becker, acting as an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, shared the organization’s mission, inspired by Nelson Mandela’s famous words: “Sport has the power to change the world.”