The home team, composed of Sun, Bao Guiying, Zhang Yuhong, Wang Shijuan, Li Helan and Xing Huina, led from the first leg to the last, covering the 42, 195-meter race in two hours, 17 minutes and 46 seconds.

Ethiopia took the silver medal in 2:20:51, and Mongolia was third in 2:56:55.

The annual Beijing Road Marathon Relay was inaugurated in 1986.

Sun won the 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals at the Busan Asian Games last year.

(People's Daily April 14, 2003)