By Cathal Dennehy

Copyright independent

“It was good, it was tough,” he said. “Today was all about running my own race, getting the best out of myself and beating as many bodies as possible.”

In just the third marathon of his career, not only did that prove to the 27-year-old that he can be competitive on this stage, but it hit a key performance metric – top-24 in the world – that will ensure he receives funding under Sport Ireland’s International Carding Scheme.

As such, the thousands of steps he took around the streets of Tokyo amounted to one giant leap forward in his career, securing the support needed to chase his dreams as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics start to loom on the horizon.

There were contrasting fortunes for his Irish teammate Hiko Tonosa, who held the Irish marathon record before Lynch broke it earlier this year with his 2:09:36 run in Dusselforf. Tonosa made the more aggressive start, passing 10km in 50th place, but he was already in distress when he reached halfway in 67:26, dropping back to 62nd, and he stepped off the course not long after the 35km checkpoint.

“I think it was the humidity,” said Tonosa, who cited breathing issues and a stitch which had caused him to stop and start multiple times before he finally pulled the plug.

Lynch, meanwhile, seemed right at home in the conditions – with temperatures averaging 27 degrees and humidity at 60 per cent – and he and coach Alistair Cragg had made a plan to keep things controlled in the opening half. He was 61st after 10km, passed in 31:52, and 55th at halfway, reached in 67:03.

“You have to battle the waves,” said Lynch. “Sometimes you feel great, but you have to manage your emotions and not get carried away, I felt amazing from 15 to 20K but I had to remember not to spend too much energy.”

It proved a sensible strategy. As he maintained his tempo, many others began to fall to pieces and he was up to 40th at 30km and 24th at 40km. In the final kilometre he feared he might have to stop and walk due to hamstring pain on a downhill section but with no one around him, he was able to ease off a touch and hit the finish for an impressive debut at the World Championships.

There was a thrilling finish in the battle for gold as Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu ran down Germany’s Amanal Petros in the home straight of the Japan National Stadium to take gold, both men clocking 2:09:48 as they flashed across the line with inches between them. Italy’s Iliass Aouani took bronze in 2:09:53.

With huge crowds lining the streets, the race proved a memorable experience for Lynch. “It was class,” he said. “I was able to savour it on the last corner going into the stadium, there was no one near me so I was able to smile and wave. Half the time I couldn’t hear what Alistair was saying. But how we drew it up was how it went.

“With this race, the weather, you had to run your own race and if you didn’t capitulate you were going to finish really well. On a really good day I thought a top-20 was on the cards but I feel like I got the best out of myself. In the future, I want to be able to go with those top groups and be more aggressive in races.”

Lynch joined Cragg’s Puma Elite Running Team in North Carolina last year, without a professional contract at the time, but that came his way soon after his Irish record earlier this year and he has made great strides under the guidance of the 2005 European Indoor 3000m champion.

He said he had “unfinished business” after a disappointing showing at the Europeans in Rome last year. “I really wanted to come to these champs and have a good performance. Mission accomplished.” He hopes to next contest a marathon in the spring of 2026. “I’d love to do Boston or London and be competitive in that, get like a top-10,” he said.

Elsewhere, Fearghal Curtin turned in a huge performance at the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sunday, the Youghal athlete breaking the Irish record with 60:22 to finish eighth, taking 29 seconds off the previous mark.

Three other Irish athletes will be in action today, with Nicola Tuthill contesting the women’s hammer final at 1pm Irish time. Sarah Lavin will be on track for her semi-final of the women’s 100m hurdles at 1.05pm, and the Limerick athlete would need the performance of her career to reach her first global outdoor final. That’s also the case for Andrew Coscoran, who will race the first of two 1500m semi-finals at 1:30pm, the Dubliner needing a top-six finish to advance.

The international action will be highlighted by the men’s pole vault final at 11:40am Irish time, where Swedish superstar Mondo Duplantis will be looking for another global title and to improve his world record of 6.29m.

World Athletics Championships – Live, Monday: RTÉ Two, 11.15am; BBC Two, 11am

Irish in action (all times Irish)

1pm: Nicola Tuthill – Women’s hammer final

1.05pm: Sarah Lavin – Women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals

1:30pm: Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 1500m semi-finals

2.20pm: *Sarah Lavin – Women’s 100m hurdles final

*Pending qualification