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Beijing, China ? Wei Yanan led home an impressive Chinese 1-2-3 in the women's section of today?s Beijing marathon, winning in a new national record of 2:20:23.
Wei, who was also victorious this year in the Seoul Marathon on 17 March (2:25:06), crossed the finish ahead of Sun Yingjie, who was second with 2:21:21, with Zhang Shujing third on 2:23:17 ? all personal bests.
It?s been quite a fortnight for second placed Yingjie who won the 5,000 and 10,000m double at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, in lighting quick personal bests of 14:40.41 and 30:28.26, respectively. Yingjie?s previous personal best for the marathon - 2:25:45 - had stood since she won the national title in 1998. She also took second place behind Wei in the 2000 edition of today?s Beijing race (2:26:36), and finished fourth in Boston this spring with 2:27:26.
Zhang Shujing?s time in finishing third was a dramatic improvement on when she won the Hong Kong event on 24 February this year in a comparatively slow 2:36:27. However, her previous personal best was 2:24:42, which stood from when she was fifth in last year?s Beijing race, and she also took a third place in the 2000 Berlin Marathon ? 2:27:14.
Today?s Beijing winner Wei Yanan, by comparison to the women she beat, is largely an unknown international quantity, having finished in a lowly 29th position (72:23) at the World Half Marathon in Brussels this year. She has now won the Beijing Marathon twice in three years, having taken the title in 2000 in 2:26:34, and finishing second last year in what, until today was her personal best of 2:24:02.
Yanan?s other personal bests are - 15:15.75 (5000m, 2001), 31:54.86 (10,000m 2001), 72:04 (Half Marathon 2000).
In Beijing, in the men?s Marathon, China's Li Zhuhong came home first in 2:13:08, beating Kenyans Onesmos Kilonzo and Elias Chebet.