Ukrainian athlete Valentina Veretskaïa, who recently fled her country after the Russian invasion to take refuge in Israel, won the Jerusalem Women’s Marathon on Friday.
In grayish, rainy weather and with winter temperatures around five degrees Celsius, the 31-year-old Ukrainian athlete finished the test in 2 hours, 45 minutes and 54 seconds.
Despite the bad weather, some 25,000 people, including about forty Ukrainian athletes according to the organization, participated in this marathon through the streets of the holy city.
Valentina Veretskaïa, who won the Tirana marathon in Albania last October, recently fled Ukraine with her daughter, arriving in Poland and then in Israel. Her husband stayed in Ukraine serving in the army, the organization highlights.
After the victory, the athlete covered her shoulders with the Israeli and Ukrainian flags.
The Israeli Minister of Sports, Hili Tropper, announced on Thursday an agreement obtained with the Ministry of the Interior that allowed the reception in Israel of 100 Ukrainian athletes who had fled as a result of the war in their country.
The minister of the centrist party ‘Blue and White’ also indicated that he had welcomed two refugees into his home, a mother and her nine-year-old son, considered a promising young tennis player.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 16,858 Ukrainians have arrived in Israel, according to data from the Interior Ministry.
The Hebrew state took a cautious stance after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, asserting good relations with the two countries.
In a speech Sunday by videoconference before the elect of the Israeli Parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Israel to "make a choice"supporting Ukraine against Russia.