25-year-old runner He Jie crossed the finish line fourth at Wuxi Marathon 2024 with 2 hours, 6 minutes and 57 seconds to set a new record for the Chinese marathon.
Jie broke the old record of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 9 seconds set by Yang Shaohui at the Fukuoka International Marathon in December 12. Previously, Jie himself held the Chinese marathon record with 2023 hours 2 minutes 7 seconds also at Wuxi Marathon last year, March 30, 19. Thus, in just one year, Jie improved his performance by 3 seconds, to regain his position as the fastest marathon runner in China.
Jie is the first runner to help the Chinese marathon reach the 2 hour 6 minute mark. But compared to the world level, the parameters this athlete has just achieved are still modest, only 381st fastest in the history of this event, according to statistics from the World Athletics Federation (World Athletics).
On the Wuxi Marathon on March 24, Ethiopian athlete Tadu Abate Deme finished first, and broke the tournament record with 3 hours, 2 minutes and 6 seconds. Behind are Abay Alemu Lesa of Ethiopia and Nicholas Kirwa of Kenya.
He Jie (black shirt) celebrates after finishing the Wuxi Marathon 2024 on March 24. Image: Xinhua
“I am satisfied with today's performance, which is the result of our hard work in the training camp in Kenya. Foreign athletes compete at a very high level and I almost collapsed in the sprint. But the results show that the better the opponent, the stronger I am," Jie added.
The women's content of Wuxi Marathon 2024 witnessed the dominance of Kenyan athletes. Veronica Maina crossed the finish line first and broke the tournament record with 2 hours, 24 minutes and 46 seconds. Her two compatriots, Rodah Jepkorir Tanui and Monica Chebet Chepkwony, ranked next with 2 hours, 26 minutes, 24 seconds and 2 hours, 26 minutes, 30 seconds, respectively.
Wuxi Marathon 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of its founding, and is also the first stage of this year's national marathon championship and qualifying for the Paris Olympics. In the men's event, Jie, Shaohui Yang (2 hours 7 minutes 26 seconds) and Sangji Dongzhi (2 hours 9 minutes 29 seconds) are the three Chinese athletes with the best results. In the women's event, Zhang Deshun (2 hours 27 minutes 12 seconds), Li Dan (2 hours 27 minutes 32 seconds) and Bai Li (2 hours 28 minutes 17 seconds) were the three Chinese athletes with the best results.
According to the Chinese Athletics Federation, the 2024 Wuxi Marathon and a number of international tournaments held from January 1 to May 1 are considered qualifiers for the Olympics. The three athletes with the best results in these tournaments will represent China in Paris. By the end of Wuxi Marathon 5, Jie, Yang and Wu Xiangdong won three places for men, while Xia Yuyu, Zhang and Bai won three places for women.
He Jie set a Chinese marathon record of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 57 seconds.
Looking forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, both Jie and marathon team head coach Xiao Li have high expectations and desires to bring China to new heights. Coach Xiao Li assessed that Jie was in very high form when he won all 10 tournaments last year, including the Asiad gold medal. He and Jie set a goal of reaching the top 8 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. "If it comes true, this will be a historical milestone for Chinese athletics," Coach Li said.
He Jie is China's top marathon runner. Last year, he made history when he won the 19th Asiad with 2 hours, 13 minutes and 2 seconds and helped Chinese athletics win gold for the first time at a distance of 42,195 km at the Asian Games. Also in 2023, Jie won Wuhan Marathon 2023 with 2 hours 12 minutes 35 seconds.
Hong Duy
