Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SAINT-DENIS, France — American distance runner Weini Kelati earned a spot to the Paris Games on the same track where 10 years earlier she made the decision to leave Eritrea and seek asylum in the United States. Kelati traveled to Eugene, Oregon, as a teenager for the world junior championships and, without telling her friends or family, missed her flight back home to Eritrea to begin a new life. Kelati was taken in by relatives and went to high school in Virginia before competing at the University of New Mexico. She's headed to Paris with her family in her heart. She runs Friday.








