A Polish runner says he has won North Korea’s International Marathon, despite the country’s state media reporting a local athlete won the race.
Posting on social media, Wojciech Kopeć told fans that he outran over 200 athletes to cross the finishing line in 2 hrs, 30 mins, 39 secs at the event in Pyongyang on Sunday.
The 38-year-old said: “Winner of the Pyongyang Marathon Amateur. Official Time: 2:30:39!! I managed to achieve this time after fighting 200m up and 190m down.
“It wasn't an easy route, but I'm happy with the best time this year on the marathon route. Thank you for keeping your fingers crossed.”
According to state news outlet nknews.org, however, North Korean runner Pak Kum Dong took first place with a time of 2:12:08.
The marathon, the first since 2019 when the country closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the latest in a string of marathons for the Polish runner and the 105th country he has competed in.
These recently included winning the Bhutan International Marathon 1,500m above sea level at the beginning of March and a week later running in 30°C-plus temperatures and 95% humidity on the Pacific island of Saipan in the Marianas, in the western Pacific.
After a 30-hour journey back to Poland, he later competed in a 5km race in the country’s northern city of Olsztyn.
