Lonah Chemtai Salpeter
Salpeter at the European Athletics Championships in 2018
Personal information
Native nameלונה צ'מטאי-סלפטר
Birth nameLonah Korlima Chemtai
Full nameLonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter
National teamIsrael
Born (1988-12-12) 12 December 1988
Kitale, Kenya
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)[1]
SpouseDan Salpeter
Sport
CountryIsrael
SportAthletics
Event(s)Marathon, Half marathon, 10,000 metres, 5000 metres
ClubMaccabi Tel Aviv
TeamNN Running Team
Coached byDan Salpeter
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals2016 Rio de Janeiro
Marathon, DNF
2021 Tokyo
Marathon, 66th
World finals2017 London
Marathon, 41st
2019 Doha
Marathon, DNF
2022 Eugene
Marathon,  Bronze
2023 Budapest
Marathon, 4th
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Israel
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 EugeneMarathon
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Berlin10,000 m
Bronze medal – third place2022 Munich10,000 m
World Marathon Majors
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoMarathon
Silver medal – second place2022 New YorkMarathon
Bronze medal – third place2023 BostonMarathon

Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter (Hebrew: לונה צ'מטאי-סלפטר, née Chemtai, born 12 December 1988) is a Kenyan-Israeli runner. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, Chemtai took victory in the 10,000 metres in 2018 and earned bronze in 2022. She won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, finished second at the 2022 New York City Marathon and third at the 2023 Boston Marathon.

Her personal best time for the marathon is 2:17:45, which when she ran it in 2020 made her the sixth-fastest woman in history (currently 11th), the second-fastest European all-time, and set a new Israeli national record. Chemtai represented Israel at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As of November 2022 she held six Israeli national records over distances ranging from 3000 metres to marathon.

Early and personal life

Lonah Chemtai was born and raised in Kenya, a member of the tribe of the Kalenjin, and grew up in a small village without electricity or running water in West Pokot County in western Kenya.[2][3][4] She came to Israel in 2008, to work as a nanny for the children of Kenya's Ambassador to Israel residing in Herzliya.[2][5][3][4]

She met Israeli running coach Dan Salpeter in 2011, and the two married in 2014.[5][6][7][4] The couple's son, Roy, was born in December 2014.[5][3] The family resided in moshav Yanuv, in central Israel, and now resides in Shoham in central Israel.[8][4] Chemtai became an Israeli citizen in March 2016 on account of marriage to an Israeli citizen, eight years after she began residing in Israel, and a few days before the cut-off to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[9][6]

Running career

Chemtai's husband, an Israeli former middle-distance and mountain runner, is also her coach.[10][11] In her youth she ran shorter distances, and began running marathons only after 2014.[3] Her club is Maccabi Tel Aviv.[4]

2016–17

Chemtai came in first among the women in the 2016 Tel Aviv Marathon in 2:40:16, almost five minutes below the qualification time for the 2016 Olympics.[5][10]

She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the marathon.[12][13][14] By the 30th kilometer, her time put her in the top half of the runners, ranking her approximately 90th.[15] She left the race at the 33rd kilometer.[15] She explained on Facebook: “Unfortunately, I was forced to stop by a shoulder problem. As you all know, I’m still nursing my 20-month-old son. During my training in Kenya, I tried to stop, but it caused me pain and a shoulder problem due to running with breasts full of milk. This limited me in the European championships in Amsterdam (a half-marathon) and happened again today. I promise to attain respectable achievements in the future and am going forward with head held high.”[15]

In the 2017 London World Championship Marathon, she ran a 2:40, coming in 41st.[4]

2018–20

In May 2018, Chemtai won the European 10,000 m Cup in London, with a time of 31:33.03, a new Israeli national record.[16] In July, she won the 1500 m at the Israeli National Championships with a time of 4:11.69.[16]

Salpeter (center) with her 10,000 m gold at the 2018 European Athletics Championships

On 8 August 2018, Chemtai won the 10,000 metres at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin with a time of 31:43.29.[17][18][16] She became the first Israeli athlete to win a gold medal at the championships.[4] Four days later, Chemtai miscounted the number of laps in her second competition there and stopped a lap early by mistake in the 5000 metres race in which she had been in close second place, depriving her of a medal.[19][4][20]

On 25 November 2018, she won the Florence Marathon, setting an Israeli national record and course record of 2:24:17.[21] It was only her fifth marathon.[4] As of November 2018 Chemtai also held Israeli national records for 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10,000 metres as well as the half marathon.[22]

In March 2019, she won the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in Rome, Italy, with a time of 1:06:40.[23] In April, she came in second in the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon in Prague, with a time of 1:06:09.[16] On 5 May, she won the Prague Marathon, with a course record 2:19:46 time, clocking the 24th-best time for a woman in that distance in history, the third-best European time ever, and a new Israeli national record.[24]

In July, she won a silver medal in the 2019 European 10,000 m Cup in London, with an Israeli national record of 31:15.78.[23] In September at the Tilburg Ten Miles in Netherlands, she broke the European record in the 10 kilometres with a time of 30:04, the second-fastest women's time ever recorded for the distance, slicing 17 seconds off the previous record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003.[25][26]

On 28 September, she ran the women's marathon at the IAAF World Championships in Doha.

In March 2020, Chemtai medalled in her first World Marathon Major as she triumphed in the women's elite race at the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:17:45, setting a new course and Israeli record.[27]

2021

In February, Chemtai won the Tuscany Camp Half Marathon in Siena, Italy, with a time of 1:07:09.[28] On 14 March, she won the Agmon Hahula Marathon in Hula Valley with a time of 2:22:37 and qualified to represent Israel at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.[29]

On 6 August, Chemtai stood 66th in the women's marathon at the Tokyo Games with a time of 2:48:31. She was in the front pack of runners with four kilometers to go when she had to pause due to menstrual cramps. She said:[30]

Women — we struggle sometimes with this kind of situation, Not every day is good for us because every month we receive this period and some ladies, they’re ok with it, and some are not good with it. This is our nature, so [some women], they don’t feel comfortable to say it. I also feel uncomfortable saying it, but I say it’s nature, I don’t have to hide anything just because the men cannot feel the way we feel.

2022

At the European Athletics Championships in Munich in August, Chemtai Salpeter won the bronze medal for Israel in the 10,000 metres race and set an Israeli record.[31] In November, she placed second at the New York City Marathon, only seven seconds behind the debutante winner Sharon Lokedi.[32]

Achievements

International competitions

Representing  Israel
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 40th Half marathon 1:15:22
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil DNF Marathon —
European Cross Country Championships Chia, Italy 38th Senior race 27:04
2017 European 10,000m Cup Minsk, Belarus 8th 10,000 m 33:20.16
World Championships London, United Kingdom 41st Marathon 2:40:22
European Cross Country Championships Šamorín, Slovakia 50th Senior race 28:56
2018 World Half Marathon Championships Valencia, Spain 12th Half marathon 1:08:58 NR
European 10,000m Cup London, United Kingdom 1st 10,000 m 31:33.03 NR
European Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 10,000 m 31:43.29
DQ 5000 m 15:01.02
2019 European 10,000m Cup London, United Kingdom 2nd 10,000 m 31:15.78 NR
World Championships Doha, Qatar DNF Marathon —
2020 World Half Marathon Championships Gdynia, Poland 12th Half marathon 1:08:31 SB
2021 Olympic Games Sapporo, Japan 66th Marathon 2:48:31
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 3rd Marathon 2:20:18
European Championships Munich, Germany 3rd 10,000 m 30:46.37 NR
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 4th Marathon 2:25:38
Road races
2016 Berlin Half Marathon Berlin, Germany 8th Half marathon 1:14:11
Berlin Marathon 11th Marathon 2:40:16
2017 Barcelona Half Marathon Barcelona, Spain 11th Half marathon 1:12:48
2018 Lisbon Half Marathon Lisbon, Portugal 2nd Half marathon 1:07:55 NR
Florence Marathon Florence, Italy 1st Marathon 2:24:17 NR
2019 Roma-Ostia Half Marathon Rome, Italy 1st Half marathon 1:06:40 NR
Prague Half Marathon Prague, Czech Republic 2nd Half marathon 1:06:09 NR
Prague Marathon 1st Marathon 2:19:46 NR
Tilburg Women's 10K Tilburg, Netherlands 1st 10 km 30:05 AR
Frankfurt Marathon Frankfurt, Germany 4th Marathon 2:23:11
2020 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 1st Marathon 2:17:45 NR
2021 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 5th Marathon 2:18:54
2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon Nagoya, Japan 2nd Marathon 2:18:45
Lisbon Half Marathon Lisbon, Portugal 4th Half Marathon 1:08:33
New York City Marathon New York, NY, United States 2nd Marathon 2:23:30
2023 Boston Marathon Boston, MA, United States 3rd Marathon 2:21:57

Personal bests

See also

References

  1. ↑ "KORLIMA Lornah Chemtai – Olympic Athletics" | Israel Archived 26 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Rio2016.com.
  2. 1 2 "Kenyan-Born Lonah Chemtai to Represent Israel in Rio Marathon". The Jewish Press. Retrieved on 26 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Ori. (19 July 2016) "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel". Reuters. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tress, Luke. "The mom who beat the odds, and the bureaucrats, to become Israel's top runner". www.timesofisrael.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Solomon, Shoshanna. (12 March 2016) "Tel Aviv's Kenyan-born marathon winner in race against time to run for Israel in Rio". The Times of Israel. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  6. 1 2 "Israeli Olympic profiles: Lonah Korlima Chemtai" – Israel News – Jerusalem Post. Jpost.com (31 July 2016). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  7. ↑ "Lonah Chemtai: Who’s That Kenyan Brightening Israel’s Chances In Rio 2016?" | The Daily Voice. Retrieved on 26 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel" | The Star, Kenya. The-star.co.ke (20 July 2016). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  9. ↑ "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel". The Star (Kenya). Reuters. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  10. 1 2 Pileggi, Tamar. (17 March 2016) "After legal battle, Kenyan runner gets Israeli citizenship". The Times of Israel. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  11. ↑ "Lonah Chemtai Salpeter: I love running because… | SERIES | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org.
  12. ↑ Lewis, Ori (19 July 2016). "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Talshir, Uri (17 March 2016). "Kenyan-born Runner Wins Race to Attain Israeli Citizenship". Haaretz. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Tel Aviv's Kenyan-born marathon winner in race against time to run for Israel in Rio". Times of Israel. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 "Breastfeeding Was Downfall of Israeli Marathon Runner at Rio Olympics". Haaretz (20 August 2016). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Lonah Chemtai SALPETER | Profile". www.worldathletics.org.
  17. ↑ "Salpeter Makes European Championships History For Israel". www.flotrack.org.
  18. ↑ "Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter wins gold at European Championships". Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "'Keep going!' - Salpeter stops a lap early in 5,000m". BBC Sport. 12 August 2018.
  20. ↑ Winer, Stuart. "Israeli athlete stops running too soon, misses a second medal at European games". www.timesofisrael.com.
  21. ↑ "Salpeter clocks 2:24:17 course record in Florence". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  22. ↑ Winer, Stuart. "Israeli woman wins Florence marathon, smashing national record". www.timesofisrael.com.
  23. 1 2 ""Lonah Chemtai SALPETER"".
  24. ↑ "Lonah Salpeter wins Prague marathon with 2:19:45, setting amazing Israeli record (3rd best European runner ever, 24th worldwide), Olympic minimum and course record," Walla.
  25. ↑ Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai smashes European women's 10K record
  26. ↑ "Israeli runner breaks European record for women's 10K". The Times of Israel. 1 September 2019.
  27. ↑ Kano, Shintaro (1 March 2020). "Osako Suguru breaks Japan record in Tokyo Marathon". Olympic Channel.
  28. ↑ Lonah Chemtai Salpeter
  29. ↑ Lonah Salpeter runs Tokyo Olympic qualifying marathon in 2:22:37
  30. ↑ Israel’s Olympic marathon runner had to pause her race due to menstrual cramps
  31. ↑ Gurvis, Jacob (16 August 2022). "50 years after Olympic massacre, Israeli marathon team wins gold at European Championships in Munich". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  32. ↑ Henderson, Jason (6 November 2022). "Evans Chebet and Sharon Lokedi take New York Marathon titles". AW. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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