Israel’s marathon team clinched a major victory on Saturday at the European Athletics Championships in Belgium, earning the gold medal in the team event. Gashau Ayale, Maru Teferi and Haimro Alame finished second, third and fourth respectively, securing first place overall for the Israeli squad.
Ayale won individual silver with a time of 2:09:08, followed by Teferi at 2:09:17 and Alame at 2:09:27. As he crossed the finish line, Alame waved the Israeli flag proudly. This marks Israel’s second team gold in three years, following its win in Munich in 2022.
The Israeli runners controlled much of the race, with Alame, Teferi, and Yitayew Abuhay taking the top three spots by the 10 km (6.2 mile) mark. Though Bukayo Melde attempted a late surge, the Israeli trio regained the lead near the end. Only Italy’s Iliass Aouani managed to overtake Ayal in the final stretch to claim gold.
In the women’s marathon, Israel added another podium finish as Lonah Chemtai Salpeter captured bronze in a dramatic photo finish against close friend Maor Tiyouri. Both runners posted identical times of 2:28:01, but Salpeter edged ahead at the line.
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Helen Wolfson also joined the women’s team at the last minute to ensure Israel met the three-runner minimum for team scoring. With only three countries fielding full teams, Israel secured the silver medal behind Spain.
“I’m the happiest man in the world,” Ayale said after the race. “I’m thrilled to be on the podium again. I came here confident after breaking the Israeli half-marathon record. This is a different kind of race but I always come in at my best.”
Teferi added, “I’m very happy with both the team and my individual result. The course was beautiful, the weather was great. I hadn’t trained well recently but I came here to support the team — and I’m proud to reach the podium individually too.”
Salpeter, who finished third in the women’s race, was visibly emotional: “This is an excellent achievement for me. I want to congratulate the Spanish runners — they were fantastic. I wasn’t feeling well a few weeks ago, so just getting here was a challenge. I’m happy to finish with a bronze medal.”