Kenyan runners swept the top three spots in the men’s marathon at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2025, while local athlete Wong Wan-chun clinched the local category title.
Champion Rutto Bethwell Kipkemboi finished with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 13 seconds, 23 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Competing for the first time in Hong Kong, Kipkemboi found the race route challenging, particularly in its final section.
In the local men’s category, Wong completed the marathon in an impressive 2 hours and 21 minutes, achieving his personal best on the Hong Kong course.
However, he expressed disappointment over the reduced prize money this year, saying its importance in attracting professional runners.
In the women’s marathon, Mazuronak Volha from Belarus took first place with a time of 2 hours and 27 minutes.
Although pleased to participate again, she noted the course's challenging downhill sections hampered her from breaking her personal best.
In the women’s half marathon challenge, Hong Kong’s Christy Yiu Kit-ching finished first, setting a local record with a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 9 seconds.
She credited the favorable weather conditions -- low humidity and cool temperatures -- for her excellent performance.
Hong Kong runner Vincent Lam won the men’s half marathon with a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds, expressing hope to finish at Kai Tak Sports Park in the future, believing its facilities exceed expectations and create an atmosphere akin to international events.
In the women’s 10-kilometer challenge, champion Candy Tsang Hiu-tung celebrated her first-place finish in 35 minutes and 16 seconds, breaking her personal best.
The men’s 10-kilometer challenge saw some confusion at the finish line, where the finish banner broke due to mishandling by staff, prompting the top two runners to refinish.
Champion Liu Aiyan from Inner Mongolia said: “If the staff broke the banner, it could prevent injuries to the athletes.”
Runner-up Xu Guoge from Yunnan expressed indifference about the refinish.
Initially announced as the winner, Xu was later revised to second place, with Liu ultimately declared the champion, finishing in 30 minutes and 16 seconds.
(Cheng Wong)
