Tigist Tufa to put family first after big payday at London Marathon
After picking up $70,000 in winning Sunday's Virgin Money London Marathon in 2:23:22, Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa said she plans to put the welfare of her family ahead of personal luxuries.
The 28-year-old intends to buy herself a car after the biggest achievement of her career yesterday gave her the first prize plus time bonus - but only after helping out her immediate family members financially.
Tufa, the younger sister of Mestawet, the 2008 World Cross silver medallist and 2:26 marathoner, finished 18 seconds clear when facing the world's toughest marathon field in the British capital.
Hailing from Bekoji, the town where Kenenisa Bekele and the Dibaba sisters were born, she is the latest in the production line of Ethiopian talent.
The men's champion, Eliud Kipchoge, is rather more used to the trappings of athletics success as an African athlete, but he also is set not to get carried away with his winnings, which for him included a $100,000 time bonus for his 2:04:42.
The 30-year-old, who won world 5000m gold in 2003 and Olympic silver at the distance in 2008, said on Monday: "I'm a low-key person. I don't have big celebrations."
He is yet to finalise his plans for the rest of this year, in particular whether he wants to seek a world marathon title in Beijing or another big-city win in the autumn, but he is keen to claim Olympic gold in Rio next year.
