Addisu Gobena smashed the course record in a thrilling Ethiopian battle, while world and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir eased to victory in the women's race at the TCS Sydney Marathon.

Addisu Gobena broke the course record to win the men's race at the TCS Sydney Marathon on Sunday, while world and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir was a clear winner of the women's race as the Abbott World Marathon Majors and World Athletics Platinum Label event returned to the Australian city.

The Ethiopian emerged from a seven-man lead group in the closing stages to claim his second career marathon victory, clocking 2:04:42 to move well inside Hailemaryam Kiros's previous course record of 2:06:06, set when the Ethiopian won last year's race.

Compatriot Chimdessa Debele was second in 2:04:46, with Lesotho's Tebello Ramakongoana third in 2:04:57. World champion Alphonce Simbu was fourth in the same time, Jemal Mekonnen fifth in 2:04:59 and defending champion Kiros sixth in 2:05:16 – meaning all of the first seven finishers came home inside the previous course record.

A large pack went through 5km in 14:30 and 10km in 29:22, reaching halfway in 1:02:28 – significantly quicker than the 1:03:45 split from last year's race. Dawit Wolde and Vincent Ngetich briefly forced a break shortly after 25km but were reeled in, and Gobena's own move past 28km lasted barely a kilometre before the field regrouped.

By 30km, 10 men remained in contention, although Sisay Lemma – the fastest man in the field on paper with a 2:01:48 personal best – had already lost contact. The lead group had been cut to seven by 36km, still running 27sec inside course-record pace, and stayed together as far as 40km, which they passed in 1:58:38 with a lead of more than a minute over the chasing pack.

It was only in the closing stages that the group split, Gobena and Debele breaking clear to fight out the finish before Gobena edged away for the win. It was his first marathon victory since his debut over the distance, when he won in Dubai in 2:05:01 – his personal best before Sunday – and a big improvement on last year's runner-up finish behind Kiros in Sydney.

Ngetich was seventh in 2:05:28, ahead of Wolde (2:06:41), Kennedy Kimutai (2:06:50) and Gilbert Kibet (2:07:13) completing the top 10.

In the women's race, Jepchirchir gradually reeled in an audacious early break from 46-year-old Kenyan veteran Priscah Cherono before pulling clear of compatriot Irine Cheptai after 30km to win in 2:18:31 – just nine seconds outside the course record Sifan Hassan set in winning last year's race.

Cherono, a 2007 world 5000m bronze medallist, passed 5km in 15:34 with Jepchirchir leading a 10-strong chase group 13 seconds back, and extended her lead to 23 seconds by 10km, reaching that point in 31:37 – 16 seconds inside her own PB for the distance, set back in 2002. She was still clear at halfway in 1:07:58, though Jepchirchir and Cheptai, the 2017 world cross country champion, had cut the gap to 29 seconds by that point – well ahead of the pace Hassan had followed a year earlier, when she passed halfway in 1:10:01.

Jepchirchir and Cheptai finally caught Cherono shortly before 28km, and the trio passed 30km together in 1:37:48 – equivalent to 2:17:34 pace – 1min 46sec clear of Uganda's Stella Chesang in fourth. Cherono began to fade soon after, leaving the two pre-race favourites to fight for the win.

Jepchirchir pulled away from Cheptai before 35km, passing that mark in 1:54:47 – exactly on course-record schedule – and although her pace eased over the closing kilometres, her lead kept growing. She led by around two minutes at 40km and crossed the line unchallenged in 2:18:31.

Cheptai held on for second in 2:22:11, with Ethiopia's Shure Demise taking third in 2:22:33 ahead of compatriots Haven Hailu (2:22:57) and Meseret Abebayahu (2:23:40). Cherono eventually finished sixth in 2:23:49 but was rewarded for her bold front-running with a PB more than a minute quicker than the mark she had taken into the race.

Stella Chesang was seventh in 2:23:52, with Fikrte Wereta (2:25:18), Ellie Pashley, the first Australian home, (2:28:28) and Aberu Ayana (2:28:30) completing the top 10.