Weini Kelati scanned the airport in Uganda, but before she could find her mother, her mother found her first. She ran with tears in her eyes and pulled Weini into a tight embrace. “I can’t believe this is real,” she whispered in 2022, holding her daughter’s hand after eight long years. Kelati had left home in 2014, a 17-year-old runner chasing something bigger. She never boarded the flight back to Eritrea. Now, at 28, she has revealed a massive shift in her life, one that changed everything. What happened next? And how did running become her way forward?

In 2014, Weini Kelati arrived in Eugene, Oregon, for the World U20 Championships, representing Eritrea. But that trip became more than just a race—it was the turning point of her life. “I came for Junior World Championship in Oregon. I was the only girl out of five boys… My decision was to stay here and chase my dream and help my family and do the things I want in life.” Keilati said on the USATF Journey to Gold Zone Podcast on March 12.

At just 17, Kelati chose to remain in the U.S. despite not knowing anyone. Her love for running and the desire to support her family pushed her forward. “But, uh, I made a decision, and I did not know anybody at the time. I found strangers, who became friends that helped me to stay when I asked them—I wanted to stay. And, at the time, I was so confused. I did not know how I was going to continue running. All I was thinking was, ‘Okay, I love running; I would love to do it again, if there is any chance that I can do it.’ But, uh, the most important thing for me was to help my family and a lot of other things that I wanted to do in life.”

A breakthrough came when she moved to Leesburg, Virginia, to live with her third cousin, Amlesom Teklai, a former college distance runner at Stephen F. Austin. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it changed everything. “He reached out if I wanted to live with him… He was a runner himself and said, ‘You can do this… I have done it myself… You can turn pro… and achieve the things… that you want.'”

At first, she resisted. Her focus was on working, not running. But Amlesom didn’t give up. He saw potential in her, the kind that couldn’t be ignored. Slowly, through many conversations, he convinced her. “We had a lot of conversations… and I think he won, and I decided to school and continue running with the high school team, which is at Heritage High School, Virginia, and I was so thankful for the people I got to know.” Looking back now, she sees how much running has shaped her life.

It wasn’t just about the sport—it was about the people, the opportunities, the journey. “Running brought me into this world… It gave me friends and a lot of people who helped me to be the person who I am today.” Weini Kelati has certainly made her athletic career count since moving to the USA!

A look at Weini Kelati’s athletic career post-USA shift

At Heritage High School in Leesburg, Kelati’s talent exploded. She won the 2015 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship and dominated national meets, proving she was special. College recruiters took notice, and she landed at the University of New Mexico, where she became one of the best distance runners in NCAA history, a 13-time All-American, an NCAA cross-country champion, and a school record-breaker.

In 2020, she ran in the 5000m at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener and clocked 15:14.71. It was a school record as well as the 4th fastest in collegiate indoor history at that time. In December 2020, she turned pro. Six months later, she became a U.S. citizen. The transition wasn’t easy as she failed to finish at the Olympic Trials (2021) but rebounded by setting the fastest women’s 10K time by an American in October 2021 by clocking 31:18.

By 2024, she was unstoppable. In Houston, she shattered the American half marathon record with 1:06:25. Then, at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she claimed the 10,000m title, earning her spot on Team USA for Paris. She finished eighth in Paris in the 10K final. Now, in January 2025, she has broken her half-marathon record by clocking 16 seconds less in Houston (1:06:09). Don’t you think, she is just unstoppable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!