Dejene Debela of Ethiopia wins Beijing Marathon

Dejene Debela Gonfa of Ethiopia won the 2018 Beijing Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 8 seconds, but it was not fast enough to earn a $40,000 bonus from organizers for finishing below 2 hours 9 minutes. 

The result was also far off the course record of 2:07:16 set by compatriot Tadese Tola in 2013, let alone the new world record set by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin with 2:01:39 on Sunday.

China’s Li Zicheng defended his title of top domestic runner as he clocked 2:15:53 in China’s flagship race.

His result saw him finishing fourth in the general rankings. The result was faster than compatriot Duo Bujie’s bronze-medal finish of 2:18:48 at the Asian Games earlier this month.

In the women’s race, Kenya’s Vallarta Jemeli Aiyabei finished first with 2:21:38 on her debut at the Beijing Marathon while He Yinli was the fastest Chinese woman at 2:31:45.

Source: Global Times