Kathmandu, February 3

Nepali athlete Kanchhi Maya Koju won the Equator Addu City International Marathon in Maldives on Friday night.

Koju clocked three hours and six minutes to win her maiden international marathon title. Sri Lanka’s Patrecia Doren Gomez and Maldives’ Husna Mohamed came second and third respectively. With the victory, Koju received $5,000, while  Gomez and Mohamed earned $3,000 and  $2,000 respectively.

Koju, who set national record in marathon with the timing of two hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds during the Kathmandu Marathon in 2016, said she was happy for winning her first international marathon title. “I am extremely happy as I won the international marathon title for the first time in my career,” said Koji. “The marathon was one toughest races as we had to run under scorching heat. Although, the event was organised in the evening, the condition was too hot,” said Koju, the 10th South Asian Games silver medal winner. “My primary target was to complete the race and I started at a slow pace. But as I went on running, I was able to win the title,” said Koju.