After her bitter exit at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Melat Kejeta returns to the place where she made her marathon breakthrough. At the 2024 Berlin Marathon (September 29, LIVE on RTL and RTL+) she is planning an attack on her personal best. In an exclusive interview with sport.de, the 31-year-old talks about her tough and unusual career path, the Berlin plan, her greatest wish and why she sometimes just has to scream in the forest.
Ms. Kejeta, you have already had an eventful year: In the summer you took part in the Olympics – but dropped out relatively early with stomach problems: How bad was this situation?
Melat Kejeta: I had stomach problems the day before and the doctors gave me painkillers. Unfortunately, that didn’t really work. When I was running downhill, I felt nauseous. I had to drop out early and couldn’t carry on. That was a real shame.
What happened after that – did the preparation continue according to plan?
Kejeta: After Paris I went back to Germany, then a week or two later to the training camp in St. Moritz and now I’m in the middle of preparing for Berlin. I’m having a bit of trouble with my knee. But it’s going pretty well.
Now the big highlight is Berlin: What are your plans?
Kejeta: I had a total of four months to prepare for Paris, I was in Ethiopia and St. Moritz. I wanted to make the most of that because we invested so much. I really wanted to run in Berlin. I ran my first marathon there in 2019 and I wanted to repeat it. I want to run my personal best at home.
In 2019, Kejeta performed in Berlin
Your marathon star rose in Berlin. In 2019, you ran brilliantly – the fastest debut by a German woman. What memories do you have of that?
Kejeta: Yes, it was incredible. And it was also my birthday. That meant I was able to fulfill my Olympic dream. A great day.
How important was this experience for you back then?
Kejeta: That was very important because I was able to fulfill my big dream of qualifying for the Olympics. And for the first time since my naturalization, I competed as a German.
How do you rate the competition this year?
Kejeta: They are very strong, I thought as soon as I saw the starter list. There are top runners there.
At the beginning of the year you made a statement in Dubai and reduced your personal best to 2:21:47 hours. Are you in the shape of your life?
Kejeta: I don’t know. I would like to run 2:18:00, that’s my big goal. My best form is yet to come. I have to keep working hard and stay healthy. For now I want to improve my personal best and attack 2:18:00 in the next few years.
After your first Olympic Games in Japan in 2021, you took a break of almost two years because you had a daughter. How did you experience this time?
Kejeta: It was a gift from God. I always wanted to have a child. I am very grateful to God. As a mother, it is not easy to train. But I have helpers. In Ethiopia, I have my mother. And here, I have help from my trainer who looks after the little one.
Comeback after maternity leave
After your maternity leave, you returned in 2023. How difficult was it for you to get back into the professional rhythm?
Kejeta: Coming back wasn’t that difficult. I googled how other athletes came back, how they did it, and then I trained in the same way.
What’s it like now: training with a toddler – is your child taking part in the training camp?
Kejeta: My child is always with me. Without her, I can’t stay anywhere for long. When I’m in Africa, my daughter stays with my mother. In Kenya, I also have a maid who helps.
You have already experienced a lot: you grew up in Ethiopia. In 2013 you fled to Germany because of the political situation – how difficult was that step back then?
Kejeta: It wasn’t easy. But you get used to it. At the beginning, especially in the first year, it wasn’t easy to get used to everything and the new culture. I also had my own stress because of all the political things.
Was running an outlet for you, something calming in this difficult situation? Did it help you?
Kejeta: Yes, it has always helped me a lot. Whenever I’m stressed, I go outside, preferably into the forest somewhere. I usually go into the forest. I can scream there sometimes – that’s why I like to go there. To relieve stress.
Thanks to first coach: “I wouldn’t have made it without him”
What did you learn from that situation?
Kejeta: I always wanted to fulfil my dream. The stress didn’t get me down. If I lose, it makes me stronger to get out of it again. My trainer in Kassel, Winfried Aufenanger, helped me a lot at the beginning, with the paperwork and naturalisation. He was my best trainer. He helped me a lot in Kassel, I am forever grateful to him. I wouldn’t have made it without him. I wouldn’t be here.
You worked as a hairdresser in Ethiopia and initially as a cleaner in Germany. Local sponsors then supported your running career. Did you think at the beginning, in this difficult new situation, that you would be able to have a professional career in Germany?
Kejeta: I thought I could go far. I was already a top runner in Ethiopia. Then things went downhill a bit because everything was new in Germany. I simply believed in God and he showed me the way and I made it.
Are you still in contact with your family in Ethiopia? Are they keeping their fingers crossed for you when you start in Berlin?
Kejeta: Most people don’t know much about the running competitions. My mother follows everything, but she only knows that I’m competing. I don’t always tell her where she can watch it though. She often watches the highlights on her laptop afterwards.
What else do you dream of, what is your big goal?
Kejeta: I would like to compete in the Olympic Games again because it didn’t work out in Paris. That was disappointing. My dream is to win a medal at the Olympics. That would be my greatest wish.
Source: www.sport.de
