In June 2021, she became a U.S. citizen and began competing for the United States.[4] She is the American record holder in the half marathon, with a time of 1:06.25 set in January 2024. Kelati also won a national title in the 10000 meters at the 2024 Olympic Trials, qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She runs professionally for Under Armour with the group Dark Sky Distance.
Early life and asylum in the United States
Kelati is from Tsada Kristian, a district center of Berikh, 5 miles west of Asmara, in the Central Region of 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 June 23, 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]
In January, Kelati finished fifth at the 2023 USA Cross Country Championships held in Richmond, Virginia.[26] This achievement granted her a place on the American national team, allowing her to compete at the 44th World Athletics Cross Country Championships. The event took place in Bathurst, Australia on February 18, 2023. Despite encountering challenges, including hip pain and a miscounted lap during the race, Kelati managed to complete the course, finishing in the twenty-first spot.[27] She was the second American to cross the finish line, following her former University of New Mexico teammate, Ednah Kurgat, who came in eighteenth.
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]
After receiving asylum in the US in 2014, Kelati was unable to see her mother for eight years.[35] 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.
