Chinese marathoner Yang breaks national record in Fukuoka

FUKUOKA, Japan -- China's Yang Shaohui refreshed the men's marathon national record at the 2023 Fukuoka International Marathon here on Sunday.

Yang clocked two hours, seven minutes and nine seconds to finish second in the men's race, improving his personal best by 40 seconds and lagging one second behind winner Michael Githae of Kenya.

The 31-year-old broke the previous record of 2:07:30, set by his compatriot He Jie in this year's Wuxi Marathon.

China's Feng Peiyou finished sixth in 2:08:07 to secure the third Chinese men's marathon ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.