Paris Olympics | A Chinese woman IT programmer and an amateur runner, the first who crossed the finish line at the "Marathon for All” in Paris

The Paris Olympic Games made history by hosting the first "Marathon for All", an event that allowed the general public to run the Olympic marathon route at night. Among all the runners, Huang Xuemei, an amateur runner from China and an IT programmer at Xiamen International Bank, distinguished herself by being the first to cross the finish line. Her remarkable performance surpassed that of several professional athletes in the main race, including two members from the Chinese national team.

The Paris Olympic Games made history by hosting the first "Marathon for All". (AP Photo)

The "Marathon for All" offers a chance for amateur runners to run the same 42-kilometer route as professional athletes. Together with those who ran the 10-kilometer route a total of 40,048 runners, including 120 amateur runners from China, were lucky enough to be chosen to participate through a lot drawing system.

Huang Xuemei is an IT programmer (Weibo Photo)

According to Beijing Daily’s official Weibo, Huang Xuemei completed the marathon in 2 hours 41 minutes and 3 seconds, making her the first female runner to cross the finish line. When comparing her time to professional race results, she ranked number 70 among 91 professional athletes, surpassing Chinese runner Xia Yuyu, who finished the 72nd with a record of 2 hours 42 minutes and 10 seconds, and Bai Li, another national team member, who finished number 76 with a record of 2 hours 44 minutes and 44 seconds.

Huang Xuemei (Weibo Photo)

Huang Xuemei, a graduate of Southeast University with a degree in computer science, currently works as a programmer in the IT development department at Xiamen International Bank. According to Xiamen Net (www.xmnn.cn), Huang, in her 30s , who came from Zhaotong of Yunnan province, is not a professional athlete and has not received formal athletic training.

Huang Xuemei (Weibo Photo)

Xiamen Network further reported that Huang first discovered her talent in running during an 800-meter physical fitness test in her third year of high school. In the same year, she secured a second place in her school's long-distance running event, outpacing members of the school team. Her outstanding performance led to an invitation to join the school’s orienteering team. Since then, running has become part of Huang’s life, and she dedicated her spare time to training.

Huang Xuemei (Weibo Photo)

Huang Xuemei trains herself according to the training manual developed by coaches of the athletic association. She achieved a result of 1 hour and 18 minutes in the Haicang Half Marathon in November 2022. In the 2023 Beijing Marathon, she secured the 7th place in the international women's category and the 3rd place in the domestic women's category. In the 2024 C&D Xiamen Marathon, she finished second among domestic women. Moreover, in the 2024 IAAF Xiamen Diamond League, Huang Xuemei won the 5,000m gold medal in the women's open category. She has since been lauded as the "leading figure in public marathons." Huang Xuemei's personal best marathon time is 2 hours and 32 minutes, which also stands as the best time achieved by an amateur female marathon runner in China.

Mao Paishou

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **