The cold caused a runner in the Taipei Marathon to have a stroke while participating in the event yesterday, while three others experienced cardiac arrest during the race.
The three men who experienced cardiac arrest are aged 26, 46 and 50, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Sports said.
The runner who had a stroke during the race is a 42-year-old man, the department said, adding that he was conscious when taken to a hospital.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
As the marathon organizers ensured that medical professionals were on site, all four runners received immediate medical attention and their situations improved after being treated in hospitals, the department said.
In addition, the city government said that a female participant had fallen and had an injury during the event and was also taken to a hospital for treatment.
The starting pistol for the marathon was fired at 6:30am yesterday, with about 30,000 runners from 62 different nations — the highest number of the event’s participants ever recorded.
Ethiopian runners Dechasa Alemu Moreda and Obse Abdeta Deme placed first in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Moreda won the 42.195km race in just 2 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds, while Deme completed the race in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 14 seconds.
Deme beat her personal best, stating that she enjoyed both the beauty of the city and the passion of supporters.
“I really enjoyed the marathon,” Deme said. “If there’s a chance, I hope to come back again next year.”
Seasoned Taiwanese runner Chiang Chieh-wen (蔣介文) finished the race in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 30 seconds to win the domestic men’s category, while designer Chen Yi-ning (陳逸寧) took the domestic female title in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds.
The 41-year-old Chiang said he had wanted to beat his own 2 hours, 19 minutes and 14 seconds Taipei Marathon record this year.
“Unfortunately, a strong headwind started blowing halfway, making the run a lot more challenging,” he said. “I will return to the challenge again next year.”
Chen’s title win was a belated birthday gift to herself, as she recently turned 30.
“My first time at the Taipei Marathon in 2020 saw me break the three-hour mark,” Chen said. “I subsequently surpassed my personal best in 2021 and 2022 before becoming domestic champion this year. I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams.”
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the