XIAMEN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's Dawit Wolde and Ruti Aga secured back-to-back victories at the 2026 Xiamen Marathon, the year's first World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday.
Wolde, the men's defending champion, crossed the finishing line first in 2:09:18, narrowly edging compatriots Hailemaryam Kiros (2:09:20) and Addisu Gobena (2:09:22).
In the women's race, Aga retained her crown with a time of 2:22:45, finishing ahead of fellow Ethiopians Meseret Abebayehu (2:25:15) and Fikrte Wereta (2:25:31).
Wolde, who shattered the course record last year, revealed his primary objective this time was solely to win, not to break his own mark.
"What I wanted to do this year is just to keep my title, not to break my course record," Wolde said in the post-race interview. "so I had no reason to push it early."
The 34-year-old also noted an improvement in this year's adjusted course, specifically the removal of a U-turn near the 41km mark. "I was happy that I didn't see that U-turn this year," he said.
"This year when I came as the defending champion, I put a lot of pressure on me. I did it, so I'm happy," he added.
In the women's competition, Aga also emphasized a shift in strategy from her record-breaking run in 2025.
"Last year I brought my personal pacer here, so I was pushing from the beginning," Aga said. "This year, I was running with the official pacers and some of male athletes. I was just concentrating on winning. I'm so happy to defend the title here in Xiamen."
On the domestic front, China's Yang Shaohui finished as the top Chinese male athlete, placing sixth overall with a time of 2:11:14. The national record holder embraced the challenge of competing with a strong international field.
"I cherish the opportunity to run with them," Yang said. "I told myself to follow as long as I could, regardless of where I ended up. If you don't try to keep up, you'll never improve."
He managed to stay with the leading group for over 30 kilometers. Regarding the modified course, he commented, "The slopes were slightly fewer, one or two less. I felt good about it."
For the Chinese women, local favorite Li Meizhen, from southeast China's Fujian Province, achieved a personal best of 2:27:24 to finish the fifth place as the fastest Chinese female runner.
She highlighted the mental battle of the marathon. "Around 30 kilometers, I faced 'the wall' multiple times. Willpower was my only fuel at that moment," Li said.
It was after the 30km mark that she felt hopeful about finishing among the top domestic runners. ■
