Kelati, who trains with UA Mission Run Dark Sky Distance in Flagstaff, won the women’s 10,000 meters at the US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Oregon.
It has been an incredible journey for Weini Kelati.
In 2014, at just 17 years old, Kelati, originally from Eritrea, intentionally missed a flight after competing in the World Junior Championships and claimed asylum in the United States.
Now, 10 years later, Kelati is a naturalized US citizen. She will represent the Red, White, and Blue (and Arizona) in the 2024 Olympics in Paris after winning the women’s 10,000 meters at the US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.
After claiming asylum in the US, Kelati went to live with a relative in Leesburg, Virginia, and began running cross country and track at Heritage High School.
Just one year later, Kelati won the Virginia State Cross Country Championship and a national championship at the Footlocker Cross Country Championship. She also won a state track title in the 3,200 meters.
Kelati then moved across the country to run for the University of New Mexico, where she won both a cross country national championship and the 10,000-meter national championship in 2019.
She turned pro in December 2020, and a year and a half later, on June 23, 2021, Kelati became a naturalized US citizen. She decided to represent the US in international competitions instead of her native Eritrea.
Kelati participated in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials (postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic) but had to drop out of the race after 7,000 meters.
Since then, Kelati, who now trains with UA Mission Run Dark Sky Distance in Flagstaff, has developed into one of the top distance runners in the United States. She even set an American record in the half marathon with a time of 1:06:25 at the Houston Half Marathon in January 2024.
Now, Kelati can add “Olympian” to her resume. She clinched a spot in the 2024 Olympics in Paris by winning the women’s 10,000 meters at the US Olympic Trials with a time of 31:41.07, nearly half a second ahead of Parker Valby (31:41.553) and Karissa Schweizer (31:41.557), who finished second and third, respectively.
This will be Kelati’s first trip to the Olympics.
The women’s 10,000-meter final will be held on August 9 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.