Wei Yanan
Encyclopedia
Wei Yanan is a Chinese marathon
runner. She won the Beijing Marathon
at the age of eighteen and has won marathons in Seoul
, Shanghai
and Dalian.
Wei won the 2002 Beijing Marathon in a record time, but was disqualified after failing a drugs test and was banned from the sport for two years. Her personal best time for the marathon is 2:23:12 hours, while her 10 km road best of 31:49 minutes is a Chinese record
. She represented China at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
and the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
. She has won medals at the 2001 East Asian Games
and the 2011 Military World Games
.
, Jiangsu Province, she first made her impact as a long-distance runner in 1999 when she broke the Chinese record
for the 10 km road distance with a run of 31:49 minutes in Beijing
. The following year she made her debut over the marathon
distance at the Jinan Marathon, recording a time of 2:37:10 hours for fourth. In October she won the Beijing Marathon
in a course record time of 2:26:34 hours, beating the pre-race favourite Sun Yingjie
by a margin of two seconds. That same year she won the Seoul Half Marathon and came third at the Sendai Half Marathon in Japan, where she set a national junior record of 1:02:04 minutes.
Wei began the following year at the 2001 East Asian Games
, taking bronze in the half marathon
, then made her debut at the Boston Marathon
where she managed eighth place. The Beijing Marathon was incorporated into the 2001 Chinese National Games and she was the runner-up behind Liu Min
in a personal best of 2:24:02 hours. The track and field
programme for the National Games was held a month later and she came fourth over 10,000 metres and fifth over 5000 metres
. The following year she won the Seoul International Marathon
in a time of 2:25:06 hours, improving the course record by over five minutes.
She represented China at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
and finished in 29th place. Wei won the Beijing Marathon for a second time that October and broke the Chinese record with her run of 2:20:23 hours. However, her doping sample tested positive for banned substances and as a result she was banned for two years, stripped of her title and record, and runner-up Sun Yingjie
was declared the winner.Wei Yanan* sets Chinese women’s Marathon record (2:20:23) in Beijing - Updated with full results . IAAF (2002-10-20). Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
She returned from her ban in October 2004 and promptly won the Dalian Marathon. Just over two weeks later, she ran at the Shanghai Marathon
and took her second marathon victory of the year. In December she ran her third marathon within a 40-day period and was much slower (2:45:23), ending up fifth at the Singapore Marathon
. The 2005 Seoul Marathon marked a return to form, as she finished second with a time of 2:25:55 hours, but she was slower at the Beijing Marathon and came eleventh (a placing which also served for the 2005 Chinese Games
. Her 2006 was below-par: she was sixth at the Xiamen Marathon and won the low-key Langfang Marathon with a run of 2:42:49 hours.
In 2007, Wei reached new heights with a personal best run of 2:23:12 hours to take her second career victory at the Seoul Marathon. As a result she was selected for the Chinese team at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
, but at the event in Osaka
she failed to match her early season form and finished in 37th place. As a member of the Chinese military, she competed at the 2007 Military World Games
and was fourth in the 10,000 m and sixth in the 5000 metres
. The 2008 Xiamen Marathon provided an opportunity to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but her time of 2:25:10 hours was only enough for third as her younger compatriots Zhang Yingying
and Bai Xue
took the top two spots. Wei failed to finish the Good Luck Beijing test marathon and was not selected for the Olympic squad. Instead, she made her European debut in October at the Maratona d'Italia in Carpi and was the runner-up behind Rosaria Console
. Her year came to an end at the Shanghai Marathon, where she came in second place some thirty seconds behind Irina Timofeyeva
.
At the beginning of 2009, she was eighth in the marathon in Xiamen and came third in Seoul. She came third at the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon
with a run of 1:01:54 hours. She was only ninth at the Beijing Marathon in October, but ended the season on a high with a win at the Shanghai Marathon. She suffered from poor form in 2010, failing to reach the top five at marathons in Daegu
, Dalian and Taiyuan. Her final, and quickest, race of the year came in Beijing, where her run of 2:30:46 hours brought her fourth place. At the 2011 Seoul Marathon she ran 2:27:13 hours (her fastest time since 2008) for second place after Ethiopian Robe Guta. In July she won her first global championship medal at the 2011 Military World Games
, taking the silver medal
in the marathon behind North Korea's Kim Kum-Ok
.
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
runner. She won the Beijing Marathon
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing International Marathon is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium...
at the age of eighteen and has won marathons in Seoul
Seoul International Marathon
The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon, is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the city, alongside the JoongAng Seoul Marathon which is held in November. It...
, Shanghai
Shanghai Marathon
The Shanghai International Marathon is an annual marathon held in Shanghai, China during late Fall.-Past winners:Key:-External links:**...
and Dalian.
Wei won the 2002 Beijing Marathon in a record time, but was disqualified after failing a drugs test and was banned from the sport for two years. Her personal best time for the marathon is 2:23:12 hours, while her 10 km road best of 31:49 minutes is a Chinese record
Chinese records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in PR China maintained by Chinese Athletics Association .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:*...
. She represented China at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
and the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on May 5, 2002 in the city of Brussels, Belgium. A total of 201 athletes, 123 men and 78 women, from 60 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
. She has won medals at the 2001 East Asian Games
2001 East Asian Games
The 3rd East Asian Games were held in Osaka, Japan from May 19, 2001 to May 27, 2001.-Sports:The 2001 East Asian Games featured events in 15 sports, which was a new high for the competition.*Aquatics ** Swimming** Synchronized swimming** Diving...
and the 2011 Military World Games
2011 Military World Games
The 2011 Military World Games, officially known as the 5th CISM Military World Games, was hosted from July 15-24, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil....
.
Career
Born in KunshanKunshan
Kunshan is a satellite city in the greater Suzhou region. Administratively, it is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. It is located in southeastearn part of Jiangsu Province, China, adjacent to Jiangsu's border with the Shanghai Municipality.The total area of Kunshan...
, Jiangsu Province, she first made her impact as a long-distance runner in 1999 when she broke the Chinese record
Chinese records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in PR China maintained by Chinese Athletics Association .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:*...
for the 10 km road distance with a run of 31:49 minutes in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The following year she made her debut over the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance at the Jinan Marathon, recording a time of 2:37:10 hours for fourth. In October she won the Beijing Marathon
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing International Marathon is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium...
in a course record time of 2:26:34 hours, beating the pre-race favourite Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie is a Chinese female long-distance runner who competes in events ranging from 5000 metres to the marathon. She rose to prominence by winning two gold medals at the 2002 Asian Games. In 2003, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris...
by a margin of two seconds. That same year she won the Seoul Half Marathon and came third at the Sendai Half Marathon in Japan, where she set a national junior record of 1:02:04 minutes.
Wei began the following year at the 2001 East Asian Games
Athletics at the 2001 East Asian Games
At the 2001 East Asian Games, the athletics events were held in Osaka, Japan from 23 to 26 May 2001. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. All events were held at the Nagai Stadium, with the exception of the racewalking and half marathon events...
, taking bronze in the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
, then made her debut at the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
where she managed eighth place. The Beijing Marathon was incorporated into the 2001 Chinese National Games and she was the runner-up behind Liu Min
Liu Min
Liu Min , originally named Liu Chong , was the founder of the Northern Han kingdom of China’s Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, traditionally dated from 907 to 960. Liu was a Shatuo Turk.-Formation of the Northern Han:...
in a personal best of 2:24:02 hours. The track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
programme for the National Games was held a month later and she came fourth over 10,000 metres and fifth over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
. The following year she won the Seoul International Marathon
Seoul International Marathon
The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon, is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the city, alongside the JoongAng Seoul Marathon which is held in November. It...
in a time of 2:25:06 hours, improving the course record by over five minutes.
She represented China at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on May 5, 2002 in the city of Brussels, Belgium. A total of 201 athletes, 123 men and 78 women, from 60 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
and finished in 29th place. Wei won the Beijing Marathon for a second time that October and broke the Chinese record with her run of 2:20:23 hours. However, her doping sample tested positive for banned substances and as a result she was banned for two years, stripped of her title and record, and runner-up Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie
Sun Yingjie is a Chinese female long-distance runner who competes in events ranging from 5000 metres to the marathon. She rose to prominence by winning two gold medals at the 2002 Asian Games. In 2003, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris...
was declared the winner.Wei Yanan* sets Chinese women’s Marathon record (2:20:23) in Beijing - Updated with full results . IAAF (2002-10-20). Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
She returned from her ban in October 2004 and promptly won the Dalian Marathon. Just over two weeks later, she ran at the Shanghai Marathon
Shanghai Marathon
The Shanghai International Marathon is an annual marathon held in Shanghai, China during late Fall.-Past winners:Key:-External links:**...
and took her second marathon victory of the year. In December she ran her third marathon within a 40-day period and was much slower (2:45:23), ending up fifth at the Singapore Marathon
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race...
. The 2005 Seoul Marathon marked a return to form, as she finished second with a time of 2:25:55 hours, but she was slower at the Beijing Marathon and came eleventh (a placing which also served for the 2005 Chinese Games
Athletics at the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China
At the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China, the athletics events were held at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center in Jinan, People's Republic of China from 21–26 October, 2009. The National Games marathon event was held in conjunction with the Beijing Marathon on 18 October.-Medal...
. Her 2006 was below-par: she was sixth at the Xiamen Marathon and won the low-key Langfang Marathon with a run of 2:42:49 hours.
In 2007, Wei reached new heights with a personal best run of 2:23:12 hours to take her second career victory at the Seoul Marathon. As a result she was selected for the Chinese team at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
, but at the event in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
she failed to match her early season form and finished in 37th place. As a member of the Chinese military, she competed at the 2007 Military World Games
Track and field at the 2007 Military World Games
At the 2007 Military World Games, the track and field events were held at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, India from 15 – 18 October 2007. A total of 36 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 14 by female athletes...
and was fourth in the 10,000 m and sixth in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
. The 2008 Xiamen Marathon provided an opportunity to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but her time of 2:25:10 hours was only enough for third as her younger compatriots Zhang Yingying
Zhang Yingying
Zhang Yingying is a Chinese runner. At only 18 years she already qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics to represent China at the 5.000m, 10.000m and the marathon.-Career highlights:Marathons-Personal bests:-External links:* *...
and Bai Xue
Bai Xue
Bai Xue is a female Chinese long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres.-Career:Bai won both the 5000 and the 10,000 metres at the 2005 Asian Championships, and finished fourth in 10,000 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships. She finished twenty-first in the 10,000 metres at the...
took the top two spots. Wei failed to finish the Good Luck Beijing test marathon and was not selected for the Olympic squad. Instead, she made her European debut in October at the Maratona d'Italia in Carpi and was the runner-up behind Rosaria Console
Rosaria Console
Rosaria Console is an Italian long-distance runner who specializes in the half marathon and marathon.She suffered a tibia problem in early 2011 but still managed to take fifth place at the Rome City Marathon in March....
. Her year came to an end at the Shanghai Marathon, where she came in second place some thirty seconds behind Irina Timofeyeva
Irina Timofeyeva
Irina Nikolayevna Timofeyeva is a Russian long-distance runner who specializes in running the marathon. She won the Singapore Marathon in 2005 and the Paris Marathon in 2006. She ran for Russia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, placing 7th in the marathon race...
.
At the beginning of 2009, she was eighth in the marathon in Xiamen and came third in Seoul. She came third at the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon
Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon
The Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in April in Yangzhou, People's Republic of China....
with a run of 1:01:54 hours. She was only ninth at the Beijing Marathon in October, but ended the season on a high with a win at the Shanghai Marathon. She suffered from poor form in 2010, failing to reach the top five at marathons in Daegu
Daegu Marathon
The Daegu International Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in April in Daegu, South Korea. The day's events also feature a 5K event and a 10K event, as well as the full course marathon ....
, Dalian and Taiyuan. Her final, and quickest, race of the year came in Beijing, where her run of 2:30:46 hours brought her fourth place. At the 2011 Seoul Marathon she ran 2:27:13 hours (her fastest time since 2008) for second place after Ethiopian Robe Guta. In July she won her first global championship medal at the 2011 Military World Games
Track and field at the 2011 Military World Games
The track and field competition at the 2011 Military World Games was held from 17–23 July 2011 at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro. The programme contained 35 athletics events, 20 for men and 15 for women...
, taking the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the marathon behind North Korea's Kim Kum-Ok
Kim Kum-Ok
Kim Kum-ok is a female long-distance runner from North Korea, who specialises in the half marathon and marathon events....
.