The Israeli delegation to the European Athletics Championships in Rome celebrated a major achievement on Sunday, when its marathon team won the silver medal in the half marathon team event.
Maru Teferi (4th), Gashaw Ayare (7th) and Girmau Amare (9th) all finished in the top 10, giving the team second place behind Italy.
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Guillemot Amare, Gashaw Ayare, Mar Teferi
(Photo: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
This is Israel’s second team medal after the gold medal at the Munich Games. The three athletes, who have already qualified for the Paris Olympics, celebrated their victory by waving the Israeli flag and shouting “Long live Israel.” The half marathon was chosen instead of the full marathon in this championship because the Paris Olympics are coming up soon. It would be almost impossible to recover from a full marathon and compete in the Olympics again in less than two months.
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Israeli marathon team
(Photo: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Commenting on the release of four hostages from Gaza during Operation Arnon on Saturday, Girmau Amare said: “When I heard yesterday that the hostages had been released, my whole body trembled, as if a family member had returned from captivity. My heart goes out to the soldiers who died during the rescue operation. It is not easy to be underground, in a strange land, with no sunlight or fresh air, so although there was sadness, we were happy.”
“It is always a great honor to represent my country and fly my flag wherever I compete,” said Gashaw Ayare. “I am proud to be part of this talented and accomplished team and excited about this achievement.”
