{{short description|Eritrean middle-distance runner|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{MedalTableTop|image=Podium 5000m women Zurich 2014.jpg|imagesize=280px|sport=Women's athletics|country_code=SWE|medals= {{Medal|Competition|European Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2014 Zürich|5000 m}} {{Medal|Silver|2016 Amsterdam|5000 m}} {{Medal|Competition|European Cross Country Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|2017 Šamorín|Senior race}} {{Medal|Bronze|2014 Samokov|Senior race}} }} '''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.<ref name=bio>{{World Athletics}}</ref> At the 2007 All-Africa Games she finished seventh in the 5000 metres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coja2007.dz/portail/programme/Results.html?discipId=ath&compId=COMP27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928023254/http://www.coja2007.dz/portail/programme/Results.html?discipId=ath&compId=COMP27|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-09-28|title=:: COJA 2007 :: Site Officiel des 9 èmes jeux africains - Alger du 11 AU 23 juillet 2007|date=2007-09-28|access-date=2018-04-09}}</ref> 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.<ref name=bio/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=125&artikel=5560289|title=Meraf Bahta springer för medborgarskap och VM - P4 Väst|last=Radio|first=Sveriges|date=10 June 2013 |language=sv|access-date=2018-04-09}}</ref> In December she got her citizenship and since 2014 she has been eligible to compete for Sweden in international championships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.friidrott.se/nyheter.aspx?id=16099|title=:: friidrott.se :: - Nyheter & Artiklar|website=www.friidrott.se|access-date=2018-04-09}}</ref> She represented Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics finishing 6th in the 1500 m.
In 2014, she also won Tjejmilen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.svt.se/sport/friidrott/bahta-overlagsen-i-tjejmilen|title=Bahta överlägsen i Tjejmilen|publisher=SVT Sport|language=Swedish|date=6 September 2014|accessdate=6 September 2014}}</ref>
She finished 9th in the 1500m at the 2017 World Athletics Championships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/iaaf-world-championships-london-2017-5151/results/women/1500-metres/final/result|title=IAAF: 1500 Metres Result {{!}} IAAF World Championships London 2017 {{!}} iaaf.org|website=iaaf.org|access-date=2018-04-09}}</ref>
== Doping suspension ==
On 26 July 2018, Swedish newspaper ''Aftonbladet'' reported that she was suspected of doping violations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/a/Mg8oVB/dopningsbrott-skakar-landslaget--riskerar-avstangning|title = Friidrottsstjärnan Meraf Bahta i blåsväder – har missat tre dopningskontroller| date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.expressen.se/sport/friidrott/just-nu-meraf-bahta-stangs-av/|title=Meraf Bahta stängs av|publisher=Expressen|language=Swedish|author=Jacob Johannesson, Petter Landén|date=24 June 2019|accessdate=13 July 2019}}</ref>
==Achievements== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{ERI}} |- |2005 |World Cross Country Championships |Saint-Galmier, France |32nd |Junior race |22:43 |- |rowspan=2|2006 |World Junior Championships |Beijing, China |5th |1500 m |4:16.01 |- |World Cross Country Championships |Fukuoka, Japan |12th |Junior race |20:22 |- |rowspan=3|2007 |World Cross Country Championships |Mombasa, Kenya |6th |Junior race |21:24 |- |rowspan=2|All-Africa Games |rowspan=2|Algiers, Algeria |9th |1500 m |4:15.12 |- |7th |5000 m |15:56.30 |- |2008 |World Cross Country Championships |Edinburgh, Great Britain |43rd |Senior race |27:31 |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{SWE}} |- |rowspan=2|2014 |European Championships |Zürich, Switzerland |bgcolor=gold|1st |5000 m |15:31.39 |- |European Cross Country Championships |Samokov, Bulgaria |bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |Senior race |28:52 |- |rowspan=2|2016 |European Championships |Amsterdam, Netherlands |bgcolor=silver|2nd |5000 m |15:20.54 |- |Olympic Games |Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |6th |1500 m |4:12.59 |- |rowspan=3|2017 |European Indoor Championships |Belgrade, Serbia |4th |1500 m |4:07.90 |- |World Championships |London, United Kingdom |9th |1500 m |4:04.76 |- |European Cross Country Championships |Šamorín, Slovakia |bgcolor=silver|2nd |Senior race |27:03 |- |rowspan=3|2018 |rowspan=2|World Indoor Championship |rowspan=2|Birmingham, United Kingdom |10th |1500 m |4:23.05 |- |12th |3000 m |9:05.94 |- |European Championships |Berlin, Germany |bgcolor=#F6CECE | DSQ |10,000 m |32:19.34 |- |rowspan=2|2021 |European Indoor Championships |Toruń, Poland |4th |3000 m |8:48.78 |- |Olympic Games |Tokyo, Japan |18th |10,000 m |32:10.49 |- |2022 |World Indoor Championships |Belgrade, Serbia |17th |3000 m |8:58.68 |}
===Personal bests=== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Outdoor * 1500 metres – 4:00.49 (Brussels; 1 September 2017) * Mile – 4:25.26 (Oslo; 9 June 2016) * 3000 metres – 8:37.50 (Doha; 21 July 2016) NR * 5000 metres – 14:49.95 (Rabat; 22 May 2016) NR * 10,000 metres – 31:13.06 (Palo Alto; 5 May 2017) NR {{col-2}} ;Indoor * 1500 metres – 4:04.89 (Toruń; 15 February 2018) * 3000 metres – 8:42.46 (Madrid; 8 February 2018) NR {{col-end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Footer European Champions 5000 m Women}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahta, Meraf}} Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Eritrean women long-distance runners Category:Swedish women long-distance runners Category:Eritrean women middle-distance runners Category:Swedish women middle-distance runners Category:European Athletics Championships medalists Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic athletes for Sweden Category:Swedish people of Eritrean descent Category:Swedish Athletics Championships winners Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Sweden Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games Category:African Games competitors for Eritrea Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:European Athletics Championships winners Category:Doping cases in the sport of athletics Category:21st-century Swedish sportswomen