China's Xu Wenhao, Ethiopian Deste set new event records at Shaoxing Marathon

SHAOXING, China, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Xu Wenhao and Ethiopian Nigist Muluneh Deste set new event records in the men's and women's races respectively to win at the Shaoxing Marathon 2023 on Sunday.

Xu crossed the finish line first in the men's category with a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 39 seconds. Kenyan runner Amos Kiprotich Kiplagat and Ethiopian Habtamu Girma Nagu secured second and third places.

Xu just won men's title at the Jinan Marathon less than a month ago, and in Shaoxing, he improved his winning time by nearly four minutes. Xu stated that although he didn't finish the race faster in the sprint stage, he did a "normal or even exceptional job", considering the course difficulty.

In the women's race, Ethiopian Deste clocked a winning time of 2:27:50 to break the event record. Kenyan runners Lucy Karimi and Abigael Jelimo Mutai claimed the silver and bronze respectively.

Hong Yue from China's Guizhou won the men's half marathon in 1:04:28, and Chen Yujin and Wang Mingcheng finished second and third.

In the women's half marathon, the top three all broke the event record, with Li Meizhen winning in 1:11:49, followed by Huang Xuemei and Guo Liya.

The Shaoxing Marathon has been successfully held for the sixth time since its inaugural run in 2017, aiming to integrate the 2,500-year-old cultural heritage of the ancient city's cultural elements such as "Water Town" and "Bridge Town" with marathon sports.