Priscah Jeptoo prays after her London Marathon victory
Photo: Reuters
Kenyan athlete Priscah Jeptoo is soft-spoken about her accomplishments, but she’s not shy about publicly proclaiming her faith.
After being the first woman to cross the finish line in Sunday’s London Marathon, with a winning time of 2:20:15, the 28-year-old Jeptoo immediately knelt and prayed.
Priscah Jeptoo prays after winning Olympic silver medal in London
Photo: Reuters
The fans in London saw a similar scene last year after Jeptoo won the silver medal in the Olympic women’s marathon.
She clocked 2:23:12, finishing five seconds behind Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana, to win her first Olympic medal.
That Olympic race was held in blustery, rainy conditions, with Tiki recovering from a fall at about the halfway point to win the gold.
The two African women renewed their rivalry on Sunday under sunny skies.
Unfortunately, Olympic champion Tiki Gelana fell again in the British capital, and this fall ultimately forced her to withdraw.
She collided with Canadian wheelchair athlete Josh Cassidy near a drinks table at about the 15 kilometer mark and pulled out of the race at Tower Bridge.
In a statement after the race, Tiki Gelana said, “I fell down and hurt both legs and my right ankle, and broke my shoelace. I tried to catch up but was in heavy pain. I do not blame Josh Cassidy for the accident.”
Priscah Jeptoo runs to victory in the London Marathon
Photo: Reuters
For her part, Priscah Jeptoo has now won marathons in Portugal, France, Italy and England.
In a post-race interview after her London victory, Priscah said she couldn’t help but think of last week’s Boston Marathon.
Her friend and training partner, Rita Jeptoo (no relation), won the women’s title in Boston.
Priscah says she was sorry to hear about the bombings near the finish line in Boston. She says she will pray for the victims in Boston and those who lost loved ones.