Diribe Welteji

Diribe Welteji
	Diribe Welteji in 2023
Personal information
Birth name	Diribe Welteji Kejelcha
Nationality	Ethiopian
Born	13 May 2002 (age 22); West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Sport
Sport	Track and Field
Event(s)	800 metres; 1500 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	800m: 1:57.02 (Eugene, 2022); 1500m: 3:52.75 (Paris, 2024); 3000m: 8:21.50 (Lausanne, 2024);
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Ethiopia
World Championships
World Road Running Championships
World U20 Championships
African U20 Championships

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.

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.

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.^[2]^[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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

In December 2024, it was announced that she had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson founded Grand Slam Track.Track]].^[6]

Representing Ethiopia
Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2018	World U20 Championships	Tampere, Finland	1st	800 m	1:59.74 WU20L CR
2018	World U20 Championships	Tampere, Finland	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
2021	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
2023	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
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	4th	1500 m	3:52.75

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)