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Former NCAA cross-country champion Weini Kelati sets new American record at Houston half marathon

Weini Kelati, middle and long-distance running specialist, smashed the American record in the women’s race at the 2024 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. She did so by clocking a time of 1:06:25 (66:25) on January 14, 2024.

Making her debut in the half marathon, Kelati improved the previous USA record set by Keira D’Amato (1:06:39 or 66:39) at the Gold Coast Half Marathon in Australia in July 2023.

Kelati finished fourth overall in the women’s event that saw Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede producing a huge upset to win the half marathon title. Kedebe’s timing (1:04:37) also set the record for being the fastest-ever half-marathon on US soil.

Kedebe outpaced Hellen Obiri, the 2023 Boston and New York City Marathons winner, who clocked 1:06:07. Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba was third as she ran a time of 1:06:24.

Speaking about her performance on the ABC13 broadcast, Kelati said:

“I can’t believe it. This is amazing. Honestly, when I was at the starting line, I didn’t know what to expect. Halfway, I was like, this feels pretty good, we are under the pace. I can keep going. The last half mile was pretty windy, and I was like, I’m just going to finish this, but I’m glad I got it.”

Weini Kelati is now the third athlete to break the half marathon record at the Houston Half Marathon in three years. In 2022, Sara Hall first smashed the record in 1:07:15, beating Molly Huddle's previous record set in 2018 by 10 seconds (also in Houston). At the 2023 Houston Marathon, Emily Sisson went on to shatter the record once again, clocking 1:06:52.

In the men’s field, Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer clocked 1:00:42 to win the title in a sprint-finish against Wesley Kiptoo (1:00:43). Another Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha came in third with 1:00:45. While Biya Simbassa and Diego Estrada ran timings of 1:00:45 and 1:00:49 to finish fourth and fifth respectively.

Weini Kelati became a US citizen in 2021

Weini Kelati competes in the women's 5000m final during the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Weini Kelati competes in the women's 5000m final during the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Post the 2014 World Athletics Junior Championships, Weini Kelati didn't return to Eritrea and chose to seek asylum in the USA. She didn’t reveal her plans regarding this to her family in Eritrea. A relative in Leesburg, Virginia, became her legal guardian.

She started attending Heritage High School, where she participated in cross country and track events. Initially, she had a hard time getting used to her new lifestyle as she struggled with speaking English and adapting to the culture. However, in a year, she learned sufficient English to manage in the country.

The 2019 NCAA cross-country champion became a US citizen in June 2021 and started competing for the nation. The year also saw her turn into a professional athlete and became a part of the Under Armour Dark Sky Distance team under the guidance of coach Stephen Haas.

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