Refugee Dorian Keletela lives out Olympic ‘dream’ for second time in men’s 100m heats at Paris 2024
Dorian Keletela will proudly call himself a two-time Olympian after living out the "dream" again and going in the men’s 100m heats at Paris 2024.
One of five athletics stars in the Refugee Olympic Team, 25-year-old Keletela raced in front of a packed crowd inside the Stade de France.
Keletela, who relocated to Paris last year, finished eighth with a time of 10.58 seconds in the eighth heat, where USA’s Fred Kerley went joint-quickest overall.
Keletela was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999, and left for Portugal in 2016 after losing both of his parents to conflict.
“My motto in life is to move forward with faith, determination, courage, patience and perseverance,” he said, ahead of his Olympic debut three years ago.
Keletela, who has since moved to France, ran 10.41 at Tokyo 2020, and went on to compete at the 2022 World Championships, running 10.52 and racing against Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs on that occasion.
And ultimately it was a similar time on Saturday (3 August) with Keletela the sole refugee representative in the men’s 100m.
With Kerley and Team GB’s Zharnel Hughes for company in the eighth and final heat, Keletela put down a 10.58 to finish 0.55 seconds behind Hughes, who joins Kerley in Sunday’s semi-finals.
Keletela said on Instagram ahead of the race: “Participating in the Olympics for the second time is always a dream and representing the Refugee Olympic Team makes it even more exciting… thank you for the support.”