Lonah Chemtai

Lonah Chemtai

Chemtai at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Full name Lonah Korlima Chemtai
National team Israel
Born (1988-12-12) December 12, 1988
Kenya
Residence Moshav Yanuv, Israel
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight 52 kg (115 lb)
Spouse(s) Dan Salpeter
Sport
Country Israel
Sport Running
Event(s) Marathon
Coached by Dan Salpeter
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Marathon: 2:40:16
Updated on 6 August 2016.

Lonah Korlima Chemtai (born December 12, 1988) is a Kenyan-Israeli runner. She competed in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[1][2][3][4]

Early and personal life

Chemtai was born in Kenya, a member of the tribe of Kalenjin, and grew up in a village in West Pokot County in western Kenya.[5][6] She came to Israel in 2008, as a nanny for the children of Kenya's Ambassador to Israel.[5][7][6]

Chemtai met Israeli running coach Dan Salpeter, and the two fell in love, and married in 2014.[7][8][9] The couple's son, Roy, was born in December 2014.[7][6] The family lives in moshav Yanuv, in central Israel.[10] Chemtai was granted Israeli citizenship in March 2016, eight years after she began living in Israel, a few days before the cut-off to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.[11][8]

Running career

Her husband is also her coach.[12] In her youth she ran shorter distances, and she began running the marathon only after 2014.[6]

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.[7][12]

Chemtai competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the marathon.[11][8] By the 30th kilometer, her time put her in the top half of the runners, ranking her approximately 90th.[13] She left the race at the 33rd kilometer.[13] 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.”[13]

References

  1. 1 2 KORLIMA Lornah Chemtai - Olympic Athletics | Israel. Rio2016.com.
  2. ↑ Lewis, Ori (19 July 2016). "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Talshir, Uri (17 March 2016). "Kenyan-born Runner Wins Race to Attain Israeli Citizenship". Haaretz. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. 1 2 Kenyan-Born Lonah Chemtai to Represent Israel in Rio Marathon. The Jewish Press. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Ori. (2016-07-19) Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel. Reuters. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Solomon, Shoshanna. (2016-03-12) 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.
  8. 1 2 3 Israeli Olympic profiles: Lonah Korlima Chemtai - Israel News - Jerusalem Post. Jpost.com (2016-07-31). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  9. ↑ Lonah Chemtai: Who’s That Kenyan Brightening Israel’s Chances In Rio 2016? | The Daily Voice. Thedailyvoicenews.com. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  10. ↑ Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel | The Star, Kenya. The-star.co.ke (2016-07-20). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  11. 1 2 "Kenyan-born runner Chemtai going the distance for Israel". The Star (Kenya). Reuters. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  12. 1 2 Pileggi, Tamar. (2016-03-17) After legal battle, Kenyan runner gets Israeli citizenship. The Times of Israel. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
  13. 1 2 3 Breastfeeding Was Downfall of Israeli Marathon Runner at Rio Olympics - Sports. Haaretz (2016-08-20). Retrieved on 2016-08-26.
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