By Agencies
XIAMEN, China – 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.”
