Diribe Welteji
Ethiopian middle-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diribe Welteji Kejelcha (born 13 May 2002)[1] is an Ethiopian middle-distance runner. She won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2023 World Championships and placed fourth in the 800 metres at the 2022 World Championships.
.jpg)
13 May 2002
1500 metres
Diribe Welteji in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Ethiopian |
| Born | Diribe Welteji Kejelcha 13 May 2002 West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and Field |
Event(s) | 800 metres 1500 metres |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | |
Medal record | |
At age 16, Welteji won the 800 m at the 2018 World U20 Championships, breaking the championship record in the process. She took silver for the 1500 metres at the 2021 World U20 Championships.
In February 2026, Welteji received a two-year ban in relation for failing to provide drug sample, without justification, the previous year. The Court of Arbitration for Sport backdated her ban to September 2025 and disqualified all results from February 25, 2025, including her bronze medal in the 1500 m at the 2025 World Indoor Championships.[2]
Career
A 16-year-old Diribe Welteji won the gold medal for the 800 m event at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, where she also competed in the women's 4 × 400 m relay without reaching the final, but achieving an Ethiopian junior record.[1]
In 2019, she won a gold in the 1500 metres at the African U20 Championships, finished sixth in the 800 m event at the African Games in Rabat, and was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 800 m event at the Doha World Championships.[1]
The 19-year-old competed without success in the women's 1500 m at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, but the same month took silver in this event at the World U20 Championships held in Nairobi.[3][1]
Welteji placed fourth in the 800 m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July with a time of 1:57.02.[4] In August, she won her first Diamond League meeting with a 1500 m victory, beating her esteemed compatriot Gudaf Tsegay at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów, Poland. Welteji improved her personal best by more than two seconds and set a meet record with 3:56.91.[5]
On October 1, 2023, Welteji broke the 1 mile women's road record by running 4:20.98 in Riga at the World Athletics Road Running Championships.[6]
In December 2024, it was announced that she had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson founded Grand Slam Track.[7]
In May 2025, the Ethiopia National Anti-Doping Office (ETH-NADO) issued an anti-doping rule violation charge against Welteji for "allegedly refusing to provide a sample for an out-of-competition doping control without any justification".[8][9] Although an ETH-NADO hearing panel held in August 2025 found that no ADRV had been committed, the Athletics Integrity Unit filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in early September.[9] On 12 September, CAS declared that Welteji was ineligible to compete in the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and would remain suspended during the CAS arbitration procedure.[8][10] The CAS released its decision in February 2026, handing Weltiji a two-year ban.[2]
Achievements
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 1st | 800 m | 1:59.74 WU20L CR |
| 13th (h) | 4x400 m relay | 3:39.29 NU20R | |||
| 2019 | African U20 Championships | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | 1st | 1500 m | 4:11.59 |
| African Games | Rabat, Morocco | 6th | 800 m | 2:04.20 | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 18th (sf) | 800 m | 2:02.69 | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 35th (h) | 1500 m | 4:10.25 |
| World U20 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:16.39 | |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 4th | 800 m | 1:57.02 PB |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:55.69 |
| World Athletics Road Running Championships | Riga, Latvia | 1st | Road mile | 4:20.98 WR | |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 5th | 1500 m | 4:03.82 |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 4th | 1500 m | 3:52.75 | |
| 2025 | World Indoor Championships | Nanjing, China | DQ | 1500 m | 3:59.30 |
Circuit performances
| Grand Slam Track results[11] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam | Race group | Event | Pl. | Time | Prize money |
| 2025 Kingston Slam | Short distance | 800 m | 2nd | 1:58.29 | US$100,000 |
| 1500 m | 1st | 4:04.51 | |||
| 2025 Miami Slam | Short distance | 1500 m | 3rd | 4:07.46 | US$25,000 |
| 800 m | 4th | 1:59.94 | |||
| 2025 Philadelphia Slam | Short distance | 1500 m | 1st | 3:58.04 | US$100,000 |
| 800 m | 1st | 1:58.94 | |||
Wins and titles
Personal bests
- 800 metres – 1:57.02 (Eugene, OR July 2022)
- 1500 metres – 3:53.93 (Eugene, OR September 2023)
- 3000 metres indoor – 8:33.44 (Val-de-Reuil February 2023)
