Ethiopian runners won both the men and women's divisions of the annual Taipei Marathon on Sunday, in a race in which only 12 elite international runners competed because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Demeke Kasaw Biksegn won the men's 42-kilometer race in a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 42 seconds. In the women's division, Alemtsehay Asefa Kasegn took the title after crossing the finish line in 2:30:44.
Among Taiwanese marathon runners, Chou Ting-yin (???) had the best time of 2:23:13 in the men's division to finish sixth overall, while Tsao Chun-yu (???) performed the best among Taiwanese women with a time of 2:33:51 to finish fourth overall.
After finishing the race, Chou said he was happy to participate in a marathon despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tsao, meanwhile, said she was pleased that her 2:33:51 time had met the qualifying standard in the event for the 2022 Asian Games.
According to event organizers, this year's Taipei Marathon featured 12 elite international athletes, who all had to remain in quarantine for 14 days and follow self-health management protocols for another seven days before competing Sunday.
The 12 international athletes were among 8,000 competitors who ran the full marathon, one of only two marathons in Taiwan to obtain World Athletics Road Race certification, while another 18,000 competed in a half marathon.
Among the 26,000 competitors were 934 international residents from 59 countries living in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, a total of seven runners were sent to hospitals after suffering different levels of physical discomfort during Sunday's race. Two suffered from chest pains and asthma, while another five experienced cardiac arrest, but they recovered after being treated.
All seven of the runners who faced health issues were under observation in local hospitals, according to Taipei City's Department of Sports.
The Taipei Marathon has been held annually in Taiwan since 2001, with Kenyan runners typically dominating the race each year.
The marathon is one of two World Athletics Elite Label Road Races in Taiwan. The other is the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel