Veretska fled to Poland with 11-year-old daughter whereas husband stays behind to battle in Ukrainian military

Valentyna Veretska, who escaped Ukraine along with her 11-year-old daughter final month, has received the eleventh Jerusalem Marathon in a exceptional present of energy.

The 32-year-old raised each the Ukrainian and Israeli flags on the end line, after taking victory in 2:45:54 on a moist course which included a 2000ft ascent alongside the 26.2-mile route.

It’s becoming that such a victory befell in Jerusalem on condition that simply final week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia might happen within the Holy Metropolis.

Veretska left Ukraine for Kraków, Poland, along with her daughter earlier than flying to Israel to participate within the race after she acquired an invite from the organisers to compete within the Jerusalem Marathon.

Valentyna Veretska – a Ukrainian refugee who fled the struggle along with her 11-year-old daughter – has simply received the Jerusalem Marathon 🇺🇦

She took the ladies’s title in a time of two:45:54.

📹 @IdoDaniel pic.twitter.com/2BhGWKrhCH

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) March 25, 2022

“Once we reached the border it was very chilly and there have been possibly a million individuals there,” Veretska mentioned. “All ages. Ladies and kids, chilly and frightened. We spent the night time on the border, it was so chilly, possibly minus 5. Some individuals didn’t get up!

“I’ve not skilled for nearly a month however after I noticed the marathon in Jerusalem I believed I have to run. I want to point out the world that peace and love is an important factor.

“I hope this will present the world that we are able to take part collectively not simply in working however in life. I hope for peace in my nation very quickly.”

Veretska led from the entrance and went by 10km, 20km, 30km and 40km in 37:52, 1:16:24, 1:56:41 and a couple of:37:00 respectively. The Ukrainian was the one feminine athlete within the race to go beneath three hours with Israeli triathlete Antonina Reznikov runner-up in 3:02:12.

It’s a week after Ukraine received two medals on the World Indoor Championships – Yaroslava Mahuchikh taking gold within the excessive leap and Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk silver within the triple leap.

The boys’s race was received by 33-year-old Israeli Agadi Guadi in a time of two:37:17.

The occasion has been postponed for 2 years attributable to Covid and Israel solely opened its borders to guests on March 1.

READ MORE: Mahuchikh wins gold in Belgrade

The marathon is the nation’s greatest sporting occasion by way of members and the course covers a lot of the brand new and 3000-year-old metropolis of Jerusalem.

It’s thought of one of many tougher programs on the planet marathon calendar attributable to that 2000ft ascent.

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