Two women with NM ties head to olympics

LAS VEGAS — New Mexico sports fans will see at least two names they recognize when they turn on the Olympic Games later this month. Former University of New Mexico track and cross country star Weiti Kelati will be representing the United States in the 10,000-meter run, while former Los Alamos High School star Chase Ealey Jackson will represent the United States in the shot put.

Both women qualified for the Olympics in qualifying events recently.

Kelati qualified by winning the 10,000-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon on June 29. She was in a three-woman race for the top spot in the event. After running most of the event in third place behind Parkey Valby and Karissa Schwiezer, Kelati made her move on the second to last lap, briefly taking the lead before falling behind again. With just over 200 meters left in the race, Kelati kicked herself into an even higher gear, sprinting past the competition to claim victory with a final time of 31:41.07, just over a half-second faster than second place.

After crossing the finish line, Kelati put both her hands on her head in disbelief and collected a small figurine of Paris’ Eiffel Tower to symbolize where she will be heading in a few weeks.

Kelati became a United States citizen in 2021, after competing for the University of New Mexico, where she claimed multiple championships in both cross country and track and field as a Lobo. She was born in the African nation of Eritrea and had previously competed for their national team before becoming a U.S. citizen.

Earlier this year, Kelati set the United States record in the half marathon, running the 13.1 miles in just over 1 hour, 6 minutes.

Ealey Jackson qualified for the Olympic Games by winning the shot put event at the Olympic Trials in Eugene. She threw her winning attempt 20.10 meters, just two centimeters shy of the Olympic Trials record, according to the NBC broadcast of the event.

Ealey Jackson is one of the best athletes in Los Alamos High School history, winning multiple state championships in the shot put during her time as a Lady Hilltopper. She went on to compete for Oklahoma State University collegiately and has won the world championship in the shot put each of the past two years, Now she will have a chance to win gold on the highest possible stage when she heads to Paris later this month.

The Olympic Games kick off with the opening ceremonies on July 26, with events continuing until Aug. 11.