Hong Kong Marathon 2026: Zoom in on the Outstanding Runners

The Hong Kong Marathon 2026 was held today (January 18th). The champion for the men's full marathon was Bizuneh Melaku Belachew from Ethiopia, while the champion for the women's full marathon was Habtegebrel Eshete H. Habte from Bahrain.

The champion for the men's full marathon: Bizuneh Melaku Belachew from Ethiopia, Photo by Bastille Post

Bizuneh, the men's full marathon champion, won in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 39 seconds. He said that although the full marathon race was not easy, he was happy to participate in this year's event in Hong Kong. Enjoying the race atmosphere here, he hopes to have the opportunity to compete in Hong Kong again next year.

Bizuneh Melaku Belachew, Photo by Bastille Post

Habtegebrel, the women's full marathon champion, won in 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 3 seconds. She said that it was her first time running the marathon in China and felt quite satisfied with the organizing committee and the race atmosphere. She described the spectators as enthusiastic and the Hong Kong environment as beautiful.

The champion for the women's full marathon: Habtegebrel Eshete H. Habte, Photo by Bastille Post

She revealed that she attempted to break the race record, but the strong winds during the race, especially the headwind, posed a challenge to her performance in the late stage, ultimately preventing her from achieving such a goal. She pointed out that she had been preparing for the Hong Kong Marathon for about five months, and she would continue to prepare for other Asian marathon races, hoping to achieve better results in the future.

Mr. Chow Yun-fat, Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, the renowned Hong Kong movie star Mr. Chow Yun-fat also participated in the Hong Kong Marathon 2026. As a fourth-time runner, he participated in the 10km race this year. He said that he wasn't focused on the result, but mainly on completing the race and having such an opportunity to meet with the public. He also mentioned that the weather was great today, which was sunny, breezy, cool and comfortable, making him incredibly happy while running.

Mr. Chow Yun-fat, Photo by Bastille Post

WASHINGTON (AP) — The presidential committee asked to find solutions for spiraling costs in college sports recommended creating a task force to look at pooling media rights, limiting coaches salaries, and rewriting eligibility and transfer-portal rules, along with at least a dozen other ideas.

A draft document of the committee's proposals, obtained by Yahoo Sports, wants Congress to quickly pass legislation that would create the task force, which would receive the antitrust exemption and the right to override individual state laws that the NCAA and other collegiate sports leaders are seeking.

The committee is the product of a White House summit called by President Donald Trump in March; Trump warned the “whole educational system” was in peril if the issues dogging sports cannot be resolved.

The document unveils a laundry list of items, all of which have been discussed in the revenue-sharing era, as schools struggle to pay players and maintain full athletic programs.

Among the more divisive ideas is pooling the media rights of the conferences — a move the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences oppose but that a group led by Texas Tech regent Cody Campbell has argued could add some $7 billion in value.

“Important to note that there are currently long-term contracts in place that expire over the next 5-7 years (e.g., ACC expires in 2036), so change will likely be an evolution to a new model,” the paper said in outlining one of the issues that would make that change so difficult.

The paper also called on the task force to create rules for “elimination of salary-cap circumvention,” — in what appears to be a reference to schools' practice of inking third-party NIL deals, often through associated multimedia rights companies, that help schools blow past the current $20.5 million limit they're allowed to pay out directly.

That issue could soon be resolved through an aribtration case brought by Nebraska football players whose NIL deals were rejected by the College Sports Commission, which was placed in charge of analyzing third-party contracts.

The draft paper calls on Congress to implement legislation before its summer break, which traditionally starts in August. Congress has been stalled for more than a year on legislation that would codify elements of the House settlement that put revenue-sharing into place.

Among the biggest hang-ups are the call for the antitrust exemption for the NCAA, which, under this proposal, would instead belong to a task force and then a permanent governing body that would take its place.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - South Carolina guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates cutting the net after South Carolina beats TCU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament March 30, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Justine Willard, File)