Delvine Relin Meringor
Meringor at the 2024 European Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Born | 1 August 1992 Kapsangar, Kenya |
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Long distance running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | Marathon: 2:20:29 (2023) Half marathon: 1:07:48 (2021) |
Delvine Relin Meringor (born 1 August 1992) is a Kenyan-born Romanian long distance runner. She finished seventh in the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics and finished fourth at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in the half-marathon.[1]
Career
Running for Kenya, she finished fourth in Edinburgh, Scotland at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in the Junior women's race, winning a silver medal in the team event.[2] In 2018, she won the Safaricom-Madoka Half Marathon held in Taita Taveta County.[3]
She was given Romanian citizenship in May 2021 along with Joan Chelimo Melly and Stella Rutto. All three trained under the Romanian coach Carol Şanta, who worked professionally in Kenya for over 11 years, and were registered members at the Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club since 2019.[4][5][6]
In April 2022, she won Romanian national titles in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres at the Tudor Vladimirescu Municipal Stadium, Târgu Jiu.[7][8]
In 2022 she also won the women's Los Angeles Marathon.
In March 2023, she finished in third place at the Barcelona Marathon in Spain, in a time of 2:20:48. It was the second fastest time ever recorded by a Romanian athlete for the distance.[9][10]
She finished fourth at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, in the women's half marathon, running a time of 1:09:25.[11]
She ran the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on 11 August 2024, placing seventh overall in 2:24:56.[12][13]
In October 2024, she ran 34:38.54 to finished third at the Athletics Kenya Kapsokwany Cross Country in Bungoma County.[14] In December 2024, she finished fourth overall at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey.[15]
Meringor was later determined to have athlete biological passport irregularities. Subsequently, the Athletics Integrity Unit nullified all of her results since October 2022 and imposed a sanction of ineligibility lasting until October 2028.[16] This includes disqualification of her seventh-place 2024 Olympic performance in the women’s marathon.
References
- ^ "Delvine Relin Meringor". world athletics. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Meringor gets another chance on global stage". Standard Media. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Meringor and Muindi win Madoka Half Marathon". Michezoafrika.com. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Kenyans Joan Chelimo, Stella Ruto and Delvine Meringor received Romanian citizenship. Two of them are qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the marathon". click.ro. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Nazare, Daniel. "The story of athlete Joan Chelimo Melly, the athlete who shattered the marathon record of the great champion Constantina Diță by more than three minutes! How she ended up in Romania at CSA Steaua". prosport.ro. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Three athletes from Kenya at Steaua, under the command of professor Carol Santa". Covasnamedia (in Romanian). 11 November 2019.
- ^ "Romanian 10,000m and 5000m Championships". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Romanian 10,000m and 5000m Championships". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Jocurile Olimpice 2024: România reprezentată de două atlete de origine kenyană în proba de maraton". puterea.ro. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "The 2024 Olympic Games. Romania is represented by two athletes of Kenyan origin. Who are Delvine Relin Meringor and Joan Chelimo Melly". observatornews. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "The first medal won by Romania at the European Athletics Championships in Rome!". sport.ro. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Masgras, Alex (11 August 2024). "Team Romania at the 2024 Olympic Games – day 16 - Joan Melly and Delvine Meringor will start the marathon". as.ro. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Delvine Meringor, the athlete born in Kenya who represents Romania, finished in 7th place in the marathon at the Olympic Games! Joan Melly dropped out". gsp.ro. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Vaselyn, John (26 October 2024). "Maureen Chebor makes it Double in Kapsokwany". Athletics.co.ke. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Battocletti caps history year with gold at Antalya 2024". European Athletics. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ "LATEST SANCTIONS FOR DOPING AND NON-DOPING VIOLATIONS" (PDF). Athletics Integrity Unit. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.