Abeba Aregawi Sets Sights on 2025 World Championships Amidst Qualifying Challenges
Abeba Aregawi aims for a comeback to qualify for the 2025 World Championships after a decade away from competition.
Key Points
- • Aregawi last competed for Sweden in 2015 and aims to qualify for the World Championships in 2025.
- • She must achieve a qualifying time of 14:50 in the 5,000 meters, which she's yet to compete in.
- • Coach Kajsa Bergqvist believes in her potential despite the challenges.
- • Previous race results in longer distances were invalidated due to doping notification issues.
Abeba Aregawi, the former elite 1500-meter runner for Sweden, is striving to qualify for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo by focusing on the 5,000 meters—a distance in which she currently has no registered results. Aregawi last competed for Sweden in 2015 and is making a comeback after a decade-long hiatus, during which she trained in Ethiopia.
The upcoming challenge for Aregawi is to achieve a qualifying time of 14:50 minutes, as emphasized by her coach, Kajsa Bergqvist. "It’s tough to reach the World Championships, but I believe in her potential," Bergqvist stated. Aregawi’s previous attempts at longer distances were invalidated due to regulatory issues related to doping control notifications, complicating her qualifications. Notably, she clocked a remarkable 31:05 in a 10-kilometer race in France, which was 17 seconds faster than the Swedish record, but those results could not be officially recognized due to her late return notification.
Looking ahead, Aregawi has limited qualifying opportunities, namely a race in Brussels and the Finnkampen in Stockholm, both critical for her World Championship aspirations. Her long-term ambitions include competing in the marathon at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.