He Jie excitedly crosses the finish line. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
He Jie, an athlete from the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, clinched gold with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 7 seconds on Nov 15 in the men's marathon at the ongoing 15th National Games.
He won the first gold medal for the Ningxia delegation at the 15th National Games, becoming the first Ningxia athlete to win the marathon event at the National Games.
This year's event, featuring the game's first-ever cross-boundary marathon, has attracted more than 60 top marathon runners from all over the country.
In preparation, the Ningxia delegation sent three athletes, He Jie, Xu Wang, and Ma Yujie, to participate. Before the competition, they went to Kenya in Africa for external training and only arrived at the Shenzhen competition venue the day before the competition.
He Jie, who undergoes an interview. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
At the end of the competition, He exclaimed excitedly, "Who said Ningxia can't grow roses? I am." He added that he won the championship on behalf of his hometown. Ningxia has been waiting for this medal for 38 years.