Abeba Aregawi Defends Her Marriage Amidst Speculation

Abeba Aregawi's marriage to ex-husband Henok Weldegebriel was once labeled a sham. Twelve years later, the athletics star responds to the accusations. "Just because you divorce doesn't mean it was a fake marriage," Aregawi states in a Radiosporten documentary.

Abeba Aregawi aims to win championship medals for Sweden again. Last year, the now 34-year-old made a sensational comeback and hopes to don the blue and yellow national team jersey at the World Championships in Tokyo this fall.

However, her major goal is set for the marathon at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. "I will run and win. I hope so," Aregawi says in the Radiosporten documentary.

If successful, it would be a fairy-tale ending to the unusual story of Abeba Aregawi. She broke through as a young running talent in Ethiopia and gained Swedish citizenship in 2012 through her marriage to Henok Weldegebriel.

Striking Back: "We Married for Love"

The following year, the couple divorced, prompting Finnish athletics figure Jukka Härkönen to make sharp accusations of a sham marriage. "The Swedish marriage is purely technical for her to become a citizen," Härkönen told Helsingin Sanomat.

Abeba Aregawi and Henok Weldegebriel refuted the accusation, and in the Radiosporten documentary, Aregawi stands by her opinion. "It was not a sham marriage. We married for love. Not all marriages last a lifetime. A lot happened between us, both good and bad," Aregawi says in the documentary.

She is now married to marathon runner Yemane Tsegay, and the couple has four children together. "Now he lives his life, and I live mine. Just because you divorce doesn't mean it was a fake marriage. If you're not happy in a relationship, you divorce," says Abeba Aregawi.

Backtracking on Words About Emma Green: "Didn't Understand"

The biggest moment of her career so far occurred in the 1500 meters at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, where a 23-year-old Aregawi won Sweden's only gold. However, the aftermath focused on the new gold medalist distancing herself from teammate Emma Green's protest against Russia's so-called "anti-gay laws."

Green competed with rainbow-colored nail polish during the championship, and after the 1500-meter gold, Abeba Aregawi was asked about her thoughts on Emma Green's stance. "Personally, my faith doesn't allow it, so I don't support it," Aregawi said at the press conference.

Today, Abeba Aregawi says she "knew nothing about same-sex relationships" during the Moscow World Championships. "I didn't understand the message's meaning and that rainbow colors could symbolize homosexuality. When I later asked about it, I was surprised that nail polish could be a symbol for the LGBTQ movement. I believe everyone has the right to do what they want and believe what they want," Aregawi says in the Radiosporten documentary.

The Attack: "One of the Biggest Oversteps"

Anders Albertsson, who was the head of the Swedish athletics team during the championship, is now strongly critical of the questions Abeba Aregawi received about Emma Green's protest. "I remember this as one of the biggest oversteps in Swedish journalism I've experienced, where a young girl's language barrier and cultural background were exploited by asking provocative questions," Albertsson says in the documentary.

"This is exploiting a person in a weak moment to gain clicks and create a rift within Swedish athletics. There are those who can defend what they did to Abeba. It's about exposing an individual, and it's disgusting."

When Expressen calls Anders Albertsson, he points out that Emma Green made a "commendable initiative" and wishes the athletics federation had stood more firmly behind her.

"Creating a Rift That Didn't Exist"

At the same time, he believes the questions to Abeba Aregawi were "weak journalism." "I mean, they knew the answer in advance. My feeling is that they exploited a young girl from another culture," Albertsson says.

You call it one of the biggest oversteps in Swedish journalism?

"Yes... I mean, the person Abeba didn't have much say there, and she became the big loser in the whole story. Then maybe you shouldn't look for degrees and such. There are probably many things to mention if you start digging, and I don't know everything."

Could it not have been that the journalists wanted to hear what the country's biggest star thought about the biggest topic?

"I understand it from a journalistic perspective. It's reasonable. But with everything written about Abeba before... I believe they created a rift that didn't exist."

Abeba Aregawi was found guilty in a doping test in February 2016 but was later cleared by the Doping Commission and is now free to compete. In August, she can count results again after losing her Swedish record last winter.

Then Aregawi has only twelve days to reach the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Tokyo.