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.”
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS