In London, Zhou Chunxiu became the first Chinese runner to win a major international marathon. The 28-year-old clocked 2:20:38 to beat a world-class field. Zhou’s per

Zhou Chunxiu en route to victory in London. © www.photorun.net

sonal best is 2:19:51, set last year in Seoul; the time makes her the eighth-fastest woman in history. Take The Magic Step™ spoke with Zhou soon after her victory.

What does your first victory at the London Marathon mean to you?

I am happy about the victory, and it shows how well I was prepared to come here. It was my first race in Western Europe, and I liked it. I was prepared and ambitious to win in London, and now it’s a big motivation for me for future races.

You are not a very experienced marathoner. When did you start to train specifically for the marathon?

I started training for the marathon in 2002. I never trained for a longer distance before that time. I joined my training group, the women’s Beijing Marathon team, just one year ago, and it seems that my coach is doing a good job. I hope my team and I will do a good job in the next years, especially at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Did you expect being able to win against competitors like Berlin champion Gete Wami, Chicago champion Berhane Adere or the world cross country champion Lornah Kiplagat?

I came here to win, but I could of course not know that it would turn out like that in the end. Since it was my first time that I ran in London I was only following the others for the first 30K. I guess if someone would have been with me in the last 5K I would have been able to run a faster time. In some way, marathon can become a team sport. I was trying to do my best, and I believe in my abilities to run fast. I trained very hard, and it all comes from hard work. If the weather would have been a little bit cooler, I could have achieved a better result as well.

Where do you usually train?

I train at the Chinese Sports Academy in Beijing. I am very lucky to be able to train there, and there are many reasons that helped to achieve this great result today. The Olympics are my biggest motivation, and I will try to do my best there.

What do you think about world record holder Paula Radcliffe?

She is amazing, and I really look up to her. I hope she will run the Olympics as well. Of course, I will try to win and beat her, as the Olympics are in my home country. Her world record is really great, but I will aim for this record in Beijing. And maybe it is even possible to run against her in Osaka.

So you will run the marathon at the World Championships in Osaka on September 2?

Yes, I will run the marathon in Osaka, as I am qualified for the race because I have won the race here today.

You collected your first World Marathon Majors points today, 25 in total, and you are the first Chinese to win a World Marathon Majors race. What do you think about the series?

I know about the World Marathon Majors, and I am happy to have the first points now. I think it’s a good idea, and I will continue to run the World Marathon Majors events.

What will the rest of your year look like?

I don’t know yet what my next races will be. I have to rest and recover for a short while, and then I hope to run a 5K, 10K or half marathon before going to the World Championships.

You won $105,000 today. What will you do with the money?

I want to support my team with the money. But of course I will buy something, too, something typical from London. I wouldn’t buy clothes, though, because I just buy that back in China. I don’t like to have a lot of luggage.

Will you celebrate with your family when you go back to China?

Well, I would love to do that, but I don’t have time to go there, and I guess my coach wouldn’t let me go there, either. I need to go back to training and start to train hard again for the World Championships.

So what are your secrets of this victory today?

There are no secrets. It comes all from hard training and the experience I gained so far.