Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter celebrates winning the women's 10,000 meter final race at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, August 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter won the women’s 10,000-meter run at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin Wednesday, completing the race in 31 minutes, 43.29 seconds.
Israeli-Kenyan Salpeter came 9 full seconds ahead of Susan Krumins of the Netherlands, winning the gold medal. Sweden’s Meraf Bahta came third.
The 29-year-old became the first Israeli to be crowned European champion.
“I still don’t believe it,” she said afterwards. “I’m really happy. I dreamed of this, but I didn’t believe it happened.”
Salpeter will receive a grant of NIS 40,000 (some $11,000) from Israeli sports authorities for her win.
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Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter reacts after winning the women’s 10,000m final race during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Berlin on August 8, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / Tobias SCHWARZ)
Born in Kenya, she first came to Israel in 2008, working as a caretaker at Kenya’s embassy in Tel Aviv. While running at a Herzliya park, she was noticed by running coach Moti Mizrahi, who suggested she train professionally.
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