Constantina Tomescu of Romania won the Olympic gold medal Sunday in the women's marathon in Beijing while Chinese runner Zhou Chunxiu claimed the bronze. 38-year-old Tomescu clocked 2 hours 26 minutes and 44 seconds to take the top honor and Zhou finished in 2:27.07, her second personal best.
Tomescu broke away from the field midway through the race and no one made a bid to close the gap.
Zhou Chunxiu told reporters after the marathon that Tomescu was running so fast that none of the other contenders could catch up with her. Though a pity, Zhou said she didn't regret not winning the gold.
"I know my performance may not be up to everyone's expectations, but I've tried my best. I appreciate all the support I've received, especially from my coach."
