INDIANAPOLIS — A dominant win at the USATF 5K Championships by Weini Kelati (Leesburg, Virginia) earned her recognition as the 35th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2021. Kelati darted to the lead right from the start at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5k Frfeaturing USATF 5km Championships presented by Toyota, leading by more than 10 seconds at the mile mark. Over the second mile she extended that lead and put an almost insurmountable lead between her and her nearest challengers. The 2019 NCAA 10,000m champion for New Mexico, Kelati kept pressing through the third mile and waved to the fans as she broke the tape in 15:18, an event record. Kelati’s victory was her first as an American citizen, a status she achieved on June 22, just before competing in the 10,000m at the Olympic Trials. While at New Mexico, she also won the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships gold and was the runner-up in 2018. Kelati was eighth in the 3,000m at the world U20 meet in 2014 representing Eritrea. Other top performances from last week:
Now in its 20th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 2021 Winners: January 21, KC Lightfoot; January 28, Ryan Crouser; February 4, Bryce Hoppel; February 11, Athing Mu; February 18, Elle Purrier; February 25, Jaylen Slade; March 4, Grant Holloway; March 11, Emmanuel Bor; March 18, Tara Davis; March 25, Emily Sisson; April 1, Tara Davis; April 8, Kenny Selmon; April 15, DeAnna Price; April 22, Athing Mu; April 29, Rudy Winkler; May 6, Trayvon Bromell; May 13, Sha’Carri Richardson; May 20, Athing Mu; May 27, Ryan Crouser; June 3, Maggie Malone; June 10, Trayvon Bromell; June 24, Ryan Crouser; July 1, Sydney McLaughlin; July 21, Maggie Malone; August 25, Athing Mu; September 2, Courtney Dauwalter; September 9, Michael Cherry; September 16, Valarie Allman; September 23, Nora Cary; September 30, Rachel Johnson; October 12, Galen Rupp; October 19, Jenny Hitchings; October 26, Makena Morley; November 11, Weini Kelati. We welcome your nominations! To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org. Fans can follow along with #USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.