Ethiopian Ulfata, Kenyan Chepkirui win at 2023 Beijing Marathon

BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Deresa Geleta Ulfata and Kenyan Vibian Chepkirui took the men's and women's golds respectively in Sunday morning's 2023 Beijing Marathon.

In the men's event, Ulfata clocked two hours, seven minutes and 41 seconds to cross the finish line first, his compatriot Yihunilign Adane Amsalu finished second with just a second behind and Kenya's Felix Kipkoech pocketed bronze in 2:07:44.

China's Chen Tianyu finished in 2:08:11 to settle for seventh place, becoming the best-ranked Chinese runner in the men's race.

The women's race saw a Kenyan clean sweep on the podium, as Chepkirui won the women's gold in 2:21:57, followed by Janet Ruguru and veteran Helah Kiprop in second and third places. China's Lu Ying finished fourth in 2:27:49.

The 41st edition of the Beijing Marathon featured some 30,000 runners, who started from Tiananmen Square and headed west past the Forbidden City, then continued north through streets until eventually reaching the finish line at the Bird's Nest Stadium.