Stella Rutto

Stella Jepkosgei Rutto (born 12 December 1996) is a Kenyan-Romanian steeplechase runner. Representing Kenya, she won a bronze medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2012 World U20 Championships. On 21 February 2022, she changed her international allegiance from Kenya to Romania.

Career
Rutto began competing as early as 2012, finishing runner-up at the Kenyan U20 Championships and winning a bronze medal at the 2012 World U20 Championships at age 15. Rutto said after the competition, "I started too late in the last lap to fight for the silver [...] I am happy for Daisy and to obtain this second medal for my country, even if it is only the bronze medal."

At the 2013 African U18 Championships, Rutto won a silver medal in the 2000 metres steeplechase, losing only to countrywoman Daisy Jepkemei who had beat her in 2012 as well. Two years later, Rutto won her last age-group medal at the 2015 African U20 Championships, winning the 3000 m steeplechase and helping Kenya place 5th in the medal standings.

In 2019, Rutto first competed in Romania, winning the Romanian International Championships steeplechase and 5000 metres as well as placing 7th in that year's Kenyan Athletics Championships steeple. After winning the 2020 Romanian Athletics Championships in the 5000 m and steeplechase, she won the same two events at the 2020 Balkan Athletics Championships but was later disqualified as she had not yet been cleared to represent Romania internationally.

Competing as a foreign national, Rutto won the 2021 Turkish Athletics Championships steeplechase and ran several half marathons in Turkey that year, debuting at 1:07:45 to win the Trabzon Half Marathon. On 21 February 2022, Rutto was cleared by World Athletics to represent Romania in international competitions. She finished 8th at the 2024 Diamond League Shanghai in the steeplechase.

Personal life
Born on 12 December 1996 and originally from Kenya, Rutto first competed in Romania in 2019. Despite competing at Romanian and Turkish national championships, she was not officially cleared to represent Romania until 2022.