Weini Kelati

Weini Kelati Frezghi (born 1 December 1996)^[1] is an Eritrean-born American middle- and long-distance runner. She claimed asylum in the United States in July 2014 and subsequently achieved multiple victories in state- and national-level competitions while attending Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia.^[3] While competing for the University of New Mexico, Kelati won the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. In June 2021, she became a U.S. citizen and began competing as an American.^[4] Kelati set an American record of 1:06.25 for the half marathon in January 2024. She runs professionally for Under Armour on the group Dark Sky Distance.

Early life and asylum in USA

Kelati is from Tsada Christian, a small rural village in Eritrea.^[3] She started running competitively when a physical education teacher at her school encouraged her to take up the sport.^[5] In July 2014, at the age of 17, she traveled to Eugene, Oregon to compete in the 3000 m at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Following the competition, Kelati intentionally missed her return flight to Eritrea, opting to seek asylum in the United States instead. She did not disclose this plan to her family back in Eritrea.^[3][5][6]

A relative in Leesburg, Virginia became Kelati’s legal guardian, and she joined Heritage High School, where she began competing in cross country and track.^[3] Initially, she faced challenges adapting to her new environment, struggling with both a language barrier, as she spoke no English, and culture shock. However, within a year, she managed to develop a functional level of English proficiency.

Running career

High school

Kelati started running for Heritage High School as a junior in 2014. In her first season, she finished second in the Virginia State Cross Country Championships,^[7] and she finished 20th at the Footlocker Cross Country Championships.^[8] In 2015, the high school senior finished first in both the Virginia State Cross Country Championships^[9] and the Footlocker Cross Country Championships.^[10][11]

On the track, Kelati placed first in the outdoor 3200 m at the 2016 Virginia Outdoor Track and Field Championship.^[12] She also finished first in several national competitions. These victories included a national high school girls' record for the indoor 5000 m with her time of 16:08.83 at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in March 2016.^[13] In November 2016, she committed to run for the University of New Mexico.^[14]

College

While at the University of New Mexico, Kelati recorded several All American finishes in cross country. At the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 2017 and 2018, she finished seventh and second, respectively.^[15] She then went on to win the competition in 2019 in 19:47.5, which was 9.6 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Alicia Monson, in the largest margin of victory since 2007.^[16] Her win helped her team, the New Mexico Lobos, secure a fourth-place finish. She was subsequently named the Honda Sports Award recipient for cross country.^[17] On the track, she won a national title in the 10000 m of the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing in 33:10.84.

Professional

2020-2021

Kelati announced her decision to turn professional in December 2020, foregoing her remaining NCCA eligibility at the University of New Mexico.^[2] On 23 June 2021, Kelati became a naturalized U.S. citizen,^[4] and she changed her national sports allegiance from Eritrea to the United States.^[18] She took part in the 10000 m of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelati did not finish the race, dropping out after 7000 m.^[18] In her next race, Kelati achieved the fastest finish by an American in a women's-only event at the Boston 10K for Women, recording a time of 31:18.^[19] In November, she won the USATF 5K Road Championships in a course record of 15:18.^[20]

2022

Kelati competed in January at the 2022 USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California, where she placed second.^[21] The following month, at the 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, she finished third in the 3000 m, clocking a time of 8:47.8.^[22] At the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held in July, she finished fourth in the 5000 m.^[23] In November, Kelati won the USATF 5K Championships for the second year in a row, while lowering the course record she established in 2021 by two seconds.^[24] That same month, Kelati defended her title at the Manchester Road Race, setting a course record in the process.^[25]

2023

In January, Kelati finished fifth at the

In July, Kelati participated in the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5000 m and 10000 m, finishing in eighth and fourth, respectively. In September, she clinched a first-place finish at the USATF 10 km Championships.^[28] The following month, she finished fifth in the 5k at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.^[29] In November, Kelati contested the USATF 5K Championships, and while she entered the race as the two-time defending champion, she finished in fifth place.^[30]

2024

Kelati placed fourth at the Houston Half Marathon in 1:06:25 on 14 January, setting the American record in the event and averaging 5:04 minutes per mile.^[31] En route to the finish, she also set a North American record for 20 km (63:05). Six days after setting an American record for the half marathon in Houston, Kelati secured another victory at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships, held at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia. She ran 32:58.6 to finish first in the 10-kilometer race.^[32] In March, she represented the United States at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where she finished in 15th as the top American.^[33]

Personal life

After receiving asylum in the US in 2014, Kelati was unable to see her mother for eight years.^[34] It wasn't until she became a U.S. citizen, a status that granted her the freedom to travel internationally, that she was able to reunite with her mother in Uganda.

Her favorite movie is McFarland, USA, which tells the story of a predominantly Latino cross-country team in McFarland, California.^[35] Sprinter Usain Bolt is her favorite athlete.

Achievements

NCAA competition

All results from athlete's profile on the Track & Field Results Reporting Service (TFRRS).^[36]

High school competition

All results from athlete's profile on Milesplit VA.^[37]

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weini Kelati.

• From a running start in Eritrea to a new home in America, Weini Kelati wins NCAA cross country title ESPN
• 24-year-old Weini Kelati Sets New American Record During Women’s 10K Race In Boston
  CBS Boston
• Podcast interviews
• Three days after becoming a U.S. citizen, she will run to become a U.S. Olympian The Washington Post
• Weini Kelati on
  Instagram