# Meraf Bahta

Meraf Bahta Ogbagaber (born 24 June 1989) is a Swedish middle-distance runner. She represents Sweden in international competitions and specializes in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres.

## Biography

She was born in Dekishahay (at the time still part of Ethiopia). As a junior, she competed in the junior races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing twelfth in 2006 and sixth in 2007. Together with her teammates she won the silver medal in the team event at the 2007 championships. She finished fifth in the 1500 metres at the 2006 World Junior Championships. At the 2007 All-Africa Games she finished seventh in the 5000 metres. She competed in her first senior cross-country race at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships, but only finished 43rd.
Her personal best times are 4:05.11 minutes in the 1500 metres, achieved in July 2013 in Heusden-Zolder; and 14:59.49 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in July 2014 in Palo Alto, USA. The 5000 personal best also marked a Swedish record (former was from 1995 held by Sara Wedlund). With the sub-15 race Meraf made her big international breakthrough and immediately became one of the best long distance runners on European soil and a medal contender for future European Championships.
She moved from Eritrea to Sweden in 2008. In Sweden she has continued her running career, getting support from Ulf Friberg, the trainer of Mustafa Mohamed. Bahta got her permanent residency permit in 2012 and has applied for Swedish citizenship. In December she got her citizenship and since 2014 she has been eligible to compete for Sweden in international championships. She represented Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics finishing 6th in the 1500 m.
In 2014, she also won Tjejmilen.
She finished 9th in the 1500m at the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

## Doping suspension

On 26 July 2018, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that she was suspected of doping violations. On 24 June 2019, it was announced that she had been suspended for doping. The suspension period is partly retroactive, lasting from 1 September 2018 to 1 September 2019.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Eritrea ||||||
| 2005 | World Cross Country Championships | Saint-Galmier, France | 32nd | Junior race | 22:43 |
| 2006 | World Junior Championships | Beijing, China | 5th | 1500 m | 4:16.01 |
| 2006 | World Cross Country Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 12th | Junior race | 20:22 |
| 2007 | World Cross Country Championships | Mombasa, Kenya | 6th | Junior race | 21:24 |
| 2007 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 9th | 1500 m | 4:15.12 |
| 2007 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 7th | 5000 m | 15:56.30 |
| 2008 | World Cross Country Championships | Edinburgh, Great Britain | 43rd | Senior race | 27:31 |
| Representing Sweden ||||||
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 1st | 5000 m | 15:31.39 |
| 2014 | European Cross Country Championships | Samokov, Bulgaria | 3rd | Senior race | 28:52 |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2nd | 5000 m | 15:20.54 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6th | 1500 m | 4:12.59 |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 4th | 1500 m | 4:07.90 |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 9th | 1500 m | 4:04.76 |
| 2017 | European Cross Country Championships | Šamorín, Slovakia | 2nd | Senior race | 27:03 |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championship | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 10th | 1500 m | 4:23.05 |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championship | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 12th | 3000 m | 9:05.94 |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | DSQ | 10,000 m | 32:19.34 |
| 2021 | European Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 4th | 3000 m | 8:48.78 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 18th | 10,000 m | 32:10.49 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 17th | 3000 m | 8:58.68 |