Dawit Wolde and Ruti Aga defend their Xiamen Marathon titles
Ethiopia filled both podiums at the C&D Xiamen Marathon, with Wolde winning a four-second finish in 2:09:18 and Aga clear in 2:22:45.
Photograph: Dawit Wolde and Alexander Mutiso Munyao in the elite men's race at the 2024 London Marathon, by Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsDawit Wolde won the C&D Xiamen Marathon on Sunday for the second year running, in 2:09:18. The finish was tight: Hailemaryam Kiros was two seconds back in 2:09:20 and Addisu Gobena another two behind in 2:09:22, an Ethiopian sweep of the podium at the World Athletics Platinum Label race on China's south-east coast. Eritrea's Ablelom Maryo was fourth in 2:09:39.
Wolde's winning time last year, 2:06:06, is the course record, and he made no attempt on it. He said afterwards he had come to defend the title, not to chase a time, and kept it to six words: "I did it, so I'm happy." He has a personal best of 2:03:48.
Ruti Aga did the same in the women's race, winning in 2:22:45 after taking the 2025 title in 2:18:46. Meseret Abebayehu was second in 2:25:15 and Fikrte Wereta third in 2:25:31, so Ethiopia had both podiums. Kenya's Mercy Jerop Kwambai was fourth.
The home crowd had Yang Shaohui, China's national record holder, sixth in the men's race in 2:11:14, and Li Meizhen fifth among the women in a personal best 2:27:24.
Two defending champions, both minutes slower than the year before, both happy. That is what a title race looks like: nobody chasing the clock, and the winner whoever still has legs on the last kilometre.
Sources: World Athletics; World-Track.
