Tiki Gelana: some reports and pictures

"As soon as the rain started, I said to myself, 'Thank God. I love running in the rain,' "
                                                                                              Tiki Gelana                                               
                                                     

The Globe and Mail wrote

“Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia dodged rivals and rain drops on her way to winning the women’s Olympic marathon on Sunday.

Drenched from head to toe, she soaked up the moment as she crossed the finish line, raising her hands high in the air to celebrate. Gelana navigated the wet streets in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 23.07 seconds to hold off Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya by five seconds. The previous mark was 2:23.14, set by Naoko Takahashi of Japan in Sydney in 2000.  …

Gelana hardly minded the dreary conditions as she slipped and slid her way to the victory.

“I love running in the rain. I have been doing that since I was a small child,” Gelana said. “I slipped in the middle of the race and my elbow is still injured. But I didn’t feel any pain during the race.”

See the full report here http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/ethiopias-tiki-gelana-wins-womens-marathon/article4463901/

 USA Today: 

Running through rain on slick streets that took her on a tourist bus-like route past Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Big Ben, 5-foot-5 Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the women's marathon gold medal Sunday in an Olympic record time. ...

"As soon as the rain started, I said to myself, 'Thank God. I love running in the rain,' " Said Gelana, 24...

 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/track/story/2012-08-05/tiki-gelana-ofethiopia-wins-olympic-womens-marathon/56798820/1

AP 2012 Summer Games

Tiki Gelana felt the marathon slipping away when she tumbled on the rain-slickened street.

Around the halfway point of the race, the Ethiopian was knocked down by another runner as she reached for her water bottle, a hard fall that bloodied her right elbow. Already aching, Gelana thought about pulling out. Instead, she found new motivation, and headed on down the road.  …..

"When I fell, I said, 'Oh, wow, I'm not going to finish,'" Gelana said through an interpreter. "But I just concentrated on running. All of a sudden, I made it."...

"Fatuma is my hero," Gelana said. "I am extremely happy to share history with her. This gold medal is a gift for all Ethiopians."

http://summergames.ap.org/article/ethiopias-gelana-wins-womens-olympic-marathon-2

ClubCall reported:

“Tiki Gelana was the surprise winner of the women's marathon as the Ethiopian claimed an Olympic record in the process.

The 24-year-old broke her national record during a race in Rotterdam earlier in the year, but was not among the fancied runners to take gold in London.
But, in a close-run race, Gelana showed she had the sprint finish needed to see off her rivals and shaved seven seconds off the previous Olympic record, clocking two hours, 23 minutes and seven seconds…”

See the full report  http://www.clubcall.com/olympics-2012/ethiopia-take-marathon-gold-1451256.html

The New York Times

“Surging into the lead in the last mile and a half and running the second half of the race more than three minutes faster than the first, Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the women’s Olympic marathon on Sunday in 2 hours 23 minutes 7 seconds, a record for the Summer Games…..”

You can see full report here  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/sports/olympics/ethiopian-sets-olympic-record-in-womens-marathon.html

ESPN

“Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the women's Olympic marathon on Sunday in a race that began in heavy rain, was briefly drenched in sunshine and ended in another downpour.

Gelana was soaked from head to toe as she crossed the finish line, but she didn't seem to mind, despite slipping at one point on the slick streets….

Before this race, Gelana's biggest win was the Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands last April, when she finished in 2:18:58 to set a national record.”

http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/trackandfield/story/_/id/8235778/2012-summer-olympics-ethiopia-tiki-gelana-claims-rain-soaked-marathon

BBC

"I'm not sure many people would have tipped Gelana," said BBC commentator and former Olympic 1500m silver medallist Steve Cram.

"She wasn't quite unknown, but to run in such a way was impressive. Gelana looked really relaxed until the last 200m-300m when she strained to reach the finish line.

"Once again, the Kenyans have had to play second fiddle to the Ethiopians, who were dancing with joy at the end."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906225