BEIJING -- Chinese runner Wang Wenjie won the 2026 Beijing Half Marathon with a national best result of 1:01:15 on Sunday.

The 21-year-old from Tsinghua University cut 31 seconds off the previous mark set by Yu Shuiqing last year.

Wang kept his lead throughout Sunday's race, while his compatriots Li Jinhao and Wang Qi finished second and third, respectively.

"I had thought about setting my personal best before the race, but not much. I just followed my plan and tried to have a great run," Wang said.

"This year, I hope to make another breakthrough in marathons," he added.

Wang's coach Cao Zhenshui praised his performance, saying, "I always told runners not to pay much attention to the result itself. Just enjoy the process of learning, training and improving, and the efforts will pay off some day. Wenjie found his rhythm today and achieved his goal."

On the women's side, Xu Shuangshuang clocked a winning time of 1:09:54, followed by fellow Chinese runners Xia Yuyu and Liu Min on the podium.