SAINT-DENIS, France – Weini Kelati brought a photo to the United States with her. It’s a photo taken when the long-distance runner was just a child – the only photo she had of her family together.
Her father, who served in the army, died shortly after the photo was taken. His mother and two brothers are still in Eritrea.
That image is a driving force and a constant reminder of that day in 2014 when, as a teenager, she decided not to board the plane back to Eritrea after the world junior championships in Eugene, Oregon. Instead, she was taken in by a relative and attended high school in Virginia before competing at the University of New Mexico.
A decade since seeking asylum and later obtaining U.S. citizenship, she qualified for the Paris Olympics by winning the 10,000 meters in Eugene, the same place where his life changed.
It was a full circle moment that made her think of home. From her mother, who she sees once in 10 years, and her brothers, who she doesn’t get to visit. Her late father too, who she knows would be beaming with pride.
“Sometimes our dreams are delayed” Kelati said.which runs on Friday, “until they happen at the right time”.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this summer, Kelati bided her time during the 25-lap race, falling behind two competitors heading into the final lap. Then, with the finish line in sight, she raced to victory. She crossed the finish line and received a mini statue of the Eiffel Tower.
Kelati sat on the track and covered her head with her arms. The moment, his journey, has returned.
Growing up in Eritrea, running was not a passion for Kelati, but something all children were required to do at school. The choices: Run or receive a lower grade in gym class.
He did so, with determination. She finished second – behind a boy – in a race.
“My teacher said, ‘You need to (run). You’re very talented at this,’” she recalled.
It wouldn’t be the last time she heard that.
Not long after, Kelati participated in a race located a town away. She woke up early and walked to the event, which lasted a few hours. She won.
This is how she represented her country at the 2012 African championship in Cape Town. She helped the team win the silver medal in the junior division.
Soon after, the event that would change his life occurred: the world junior championships in Eugene. She knew that when she boarded the plane she wouldn’t come back. But she kept it a secret. She just said goodbye.
“When I arrived, I thought, ‘I’m going to be away from my family for a long time,’” she said. “I was quite emotional. It was difficult to run.”
The weight of the decision affected the then 17-year-old after she finished eighth at 3,000 meters.
“I thought I was mature enough to make this decision and do all these things on my own,” said Kelati, who trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, with Under Armour’s Dark Sky distance team. “It’s not easy to make a decision and get a new life, get used to a new life, learn a new language and make new friends. I would say I handled it pretty well, even though it was a difficult journey.”
Kelati declined to go into detail about the reasons she sought asylum in Eritrea, where advocacy groups in 2014 called one of most closed countries in the world since gaining independence in 1993.
“I wanted to pursue my dream and felt this was a good opportunity to support my family,” Kelati said. “That’s all I can say.”
Shortly after the plane left without her 10 years ago, a cousin got in touch. They contacted another relative in Virginia, who invited her to join his family, which included four children.
“I can’t thank him enough,” Kelati said. “He just cared about me. This wouldn’t happen without him – he gave me everything I needed for a better future.”
Kelati attended Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia, where she did not he 2015 Foot Locker national cross country championships. The colleges got in touch and she received visits. But it was the first trip she took that made the biggest impact. The University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque reminded her of home.
“The morning sun and the desert, the altitude — everything was perfect for me,” Kelati said. “It was a good place for me.”
It has become one of the most decorated distances runners in the history of Loboswinning the 10,000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.
Kelati became a US citizen in 2021 – two days before the US Olympic track trials held in Eugene. She didn’t make the Tokyo team. Running at Hayward Field was always a mental hurdle, but one she overcame in June at trials.
“I had to forget the past,” she said, “and focus on the present.”
Two years ago, Kelati saw her mother in person for the first time since she left. They met in Uganda for their reunion.
“At the airport, she saw me first,” Kelati said. “She was crying and ran towards me, and we both cried.”
They stayed up late telling stories.
“I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to see you,’” she said. “It was a fantastic moment.”
She still hasn’t seen her two brothers. But they talk all the time. The family will not arrive in Paris.
But they know they can watch her. She thinks her father probably has his eye on her too.
“My mom tells me stories about how amazing he was,” Kelati said. “I’m very proud of him. And whatever I do, I just want to make him proud – make my family proud.”
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