Kenya's Patrick Kipng'eno and Ruth Gitonga emerged victorious at the Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race in China, the last regular event of the Golden Trail World Series. The race, held on one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, featured a challenging 23km course with 1,600m of vertical gain. Kipng'eno and Gitonga's wins have positioned them strongly in the overall standings ahead of the series finale.
In the women's category, Gitonga crossed the finish line in 2:39:47, securing her victory. Germany's Hanna Grober finished second in 2:42:13, while Kenya's Caroline Kimutai took third place with a time of 2:43:33. Gitonga's performance has put her in a prime position to win the women's GTWS category overall title, following her fourth-place finish at last weekend's Myoko Trail in Japan.
Valentine Rutto, another Kenyan athlete, returned from injury to finish eighth in the women's category, crossing the finish line in 2:55:11. In the men's category, Kipng'eno won back-to-back races in the GTWS, having also won last weekend's Myoko Trail in Japan. He finished the Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race in 2:12:30, beating his compatriot and overall ranking leader Philemon Ombogo Kiriago to second place.
Kiriago, the reigning World Mountain and Trail Running up and down champion, clocked 2:14:24, while Switzerland's Joey Hadon completed the podium finish with a time of 2:15:42. Other Kenyan athletes also performed well, with Michael Saoli finishing fourth in 2:17:22, Timothy Kibet fifth in 2:18:03, and Nashon Kiplimo seventh in 2:21:05.
Samuel Kiprotich, another Kenyan athlete, finished in 2:23:18, securing a top-10 position. Kenya continued to demonstrate its dominance in the mountain running series, with multiple athletes placing high in the rankings. Kipng'eno and Saoli improved their overall ranking ahead of the grand finale, which will determine the overall winners of the GTWS.
The athletes have now shifted their focus to the GTWS final race, the Muju Trail Grand Finale, to be held in South Korea on October 24 and 25. This event will conclude the Golden Trail World Series, and the final standings will be determined based on the points accumulated throughout the series. Kiriago stated that his target was a top-two finish, which he achieved, and he is awaiting the official tallying of points to see how the final ranking unfolds.
The Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race marked the final regular event of the Golden Trail World Series, with the Muju Trail Grand Finale set to conclude the series. The Kenyan athletes' strong performances have positioned them well for the overall titles, but the final standings will be determined after the conclusion of the series finale in South Korea.
Key points
- Kipng'eno and Gitonga won the Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race in China.
- Gitonga is in a prime position to win the women's GTWS category overall title.
- The athletes will compete in the Muju Trail Grand Finale in South Korea on October 24 and 25 to conclude the Golden Trail World Series.
