(ZENIT News / Porta Luz, 14.04.2025).- The winner of the 2025 Vienna City Marathon, Haftamu Abadi, publicly declared his faith following his triumph. In a post on Instagram on Sunday evening, April 6, the 21-year-old Ethiopian explicitly thanked the Virgin Mary for his success.
“Holy Mary my Mother, I thank you again. No one who seeks your intercession is ever put to shame. Honor and thanks are due to you,» the runner wrote on his profile. With a time of just over two hours, Abadi won the traditional Vienna race on Sunday. It was the young athlete’s first marathon victory. Never before had such a young runner won the Vienna City Marathon, which has been held since 1984.
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“I Pray Every Morning and Every Night”
Immediately after crossing the finish line, Abadi publicly demonstrated his piety, taking an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus out of his running gear, kissing it in front of the cameras, crossing himself, and pointing to Heaven. He then knelt on the ground and bowed in all directions. He also kissed his running shoes at the finish line as a symbolic thank you for the material he used during the race. The athlete also acknowledged his deep religious fervour to media representatives. «I pray every morning and every night,» he told the daily Kronen Aeitung. He also goes to church «almost every day.» The interview appeared in the Austrian daily’s Monday edition.
With his victory in the face of strong international competition, Abadi has entered the Vienna Marathon history books. This year’s race attracted some 45,000 participants. In addition to his athletic performance, the winner’s open profession of faith attracted great attention.
