Kelati’s Olympic journey

By Raquel Coronell Uribe Before Weini Kelati was running 10,000 meters to a finish line, she was running long distances to school in Eritrea. Born in Tsada Christian, a small village in the central region of Eritrea, Kelati, 27, said it wasn’t unusual for kids to walk four to five hours to get to school every day — or to run, if they were tardy. Running would eventually take her far beyond the African country to Oregon, where her journey to become an American Olympian started 10 years ago and where that dream was cemented. “In sixth grade I was in a PE class and sitting down and watching what everybody was doing,” Kelati said. “And my teacher comes to me and he said, ‘You need to run because that’s how you earn grade.’” Kelati was confused — after all, she had run to school earlier that day and was sore. But her coach told Kelati to run as fast as she could, and she uncovered a hidden talent, outrunning her classmates and even older kids. Kelati started competing, but to her, the sport was always about more than just winning a medal or getting on a podium. It was...