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Top Chinese Athletes Take Aims at Xiamen |
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| The 2004 Amoi Xiamen International Marathon, co-sponsored by China Track and Field Association and Xiamen Municipal Government, was successfully held on March 27. The exciting event, which is held on the last Saturday of March every year, was the second marathon in Xiamen.
Moiben James from Kenya was the first male athlete to cross the finishing line in 2 hours 10 minutes and 54 seconds, walking away with the top prize of USD 25,000. Chinese athlete Li Zhuhong finished within only a hair's breadth of the gold medalist in 2:11:43 and brushed his personal best record of 2:14:39 which he made at last year's Xiamen International Marathon. Ethiopian athlete Yae Terefe took the bronze with 2:11:45.
In the female whole marathon group, Zhou Chunxiu, who was also the previous year's winner, finished in a final sprint to claim the gold in 2:23:28, a much better result than the former 2:34:16. Another Chinese marathoner Li Helan won silver, covering the distance in 2:28:17. Ham Pong Sil, marathon champion at the 14th Asian Sports Games held in Busan, South Korea in 2002, from Democratic People's Republic of Korea finished third in 2:28:32.
This year's competition included a 10-kilometer race and 5-kilometer race, half marathon and marathon challenge race for university students. A total number of 15,015 people registered in the marathon including participants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Most of the competitors were amateurs, an increase of nearly 2,000 participants compared with last year.
The high-standard marathon, with wide participation and various ancillary activities, has become a festival for people in Xiamen. Just as the slogan of the Xiamen International Marathon says, "Your participation will make Xiamen marathon more successful". |
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