Ten years ago, the then 17-year-old girl arrived in America with a small photo she had taken when she was a child - the only snapshot she had of her family together.
His father, who served in the army, died shortly after the photo was taken. His mother and two brothers remained in Eritrea.
The image is a driving force and a constant reminder of that day in 2014 when, as a teenager, she decided not to fly 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.
After seeking asylum and obtaining American citizenship, she qualified for the Paris Olympics by winning the 10,000 meters in Eugene, the very place where her life changed.
It was a moment of fullness that made her think of her home country. Of her mother, whom she had seen only once in ten years, and of her brothers, whom she had not been able to visit. She also thought of her father, now deceased, whom she knew would be beaming with pride.
“Sometimes our dreams are delayed,” said Kelati, who is running Friday’s race, “until they come at the right time.”
Become a runner
At the U.S. Olympic trials earlier this summer, Kelati bided her time for the 25-lap race, dropping behind two competitors as the final lap approached. Then, with the finish line in sight, she sprinted to victory. She crossed the finish line and was presented with a mini Eiffel Tower statue.
Kelati sat down on the track and covered his head with his arms. The moment, his journey, came back to him.
In Eritrea, Kelati didn't like running, but all the children were forced to do it at school. The choices were multiple: run or get a bad grade in gym class.
That's what she did, with determination. She finished second - behind a boy - in a race.
My teacher told me, 'You have to run. You're very good at it,'" she recalls.
This won't be the last time she hears it.
Soon after, Kelati signed up for a road race in a nearby town. She got 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 Championships in Cape Town, helping the team win a silver medal in the junior division.
Eritrea in America
Soon after, the event that would change her life - the world junior championships in Eugene. As she boarded the plane, she knew she wouldn't be coming back. But she kept it a secret. She just said goodbye.
"When I landed, I thought I was going to be away from my family for a long time," she said. "I was very emotional. I had a hard time running."
The weight of the decision weighed on the girl, then 17, who finished eighth in the 3,000 meters.
“I thought I was mature enough to make that decision and do all those 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 have 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 the journey was tough.
Kelati declined to elaborate on her reasons for seeking asylum in Eritrea, which human rights groups in 2014 called one of the most closed countries in the world since its independence in 1993.
“I wanted to pursue my dream and I thought it was a good opportunity to support my family,” Ms Kelati said. “That’s all I can say.
Shortly after the plane left without her a decade ago, a cousin reached out to her. They connected with another relative in Virginia, who invited her to join his family, which includes four children.
“I can never thank him enough,” Kelati said. “He cared about me. He gave me everything I needed for a better future.”
Kelati attended Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia, where she won the 2015 Foot Locker Cross Country National Championship. Colleges reached out to her, and she visited. But it was the first trip she took that had the most 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 an ideal place for me.
She became one of the most decorated distance runners in Lobos history, winning the 10,000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Kelati became a U.S. citizen in 2021, two days before the Olympic track and field trials in Eugene. She didn’t make the team for Tokyo. Running at Hayward Field had long been a mental hurdle, but she overcame it in June at the trials.
"I had to forget the past," she said, "and focus on the present.
Two years ago, Kelati was able to see 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 to me, and we both cried.
They stayed up late telling each other stories.
I was like, 'I can't believe I'm going to get to see you,'" she says. "It was an amazing moment.
She hasn't seen her two brothers yet. But they talk all the time. The family won't go to Paris.
But they know they can keep an eye on her. She thinks her father probably keeps an eye on her, too.
“My mother tells me stories about how amazing he was,” Kelati says. “I’m so proud of him. And whatever I do, I want him to be proud of me, my family to be proud of me.
