Meseret began competing in international road races as a teenager, beginning in 2009 with a win at the Dez Milhas Garoto and a runner-up finish at the Río de Janeiro Half Marathon in Brazil.

[5] Her strong performance in Egmond earned her a place on the Ethiopian team for the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

In her first race for her country she exceeded expectations by running a personal best of 68:55 minutes and pipped her teammate Feyse Tadese to the finish to take the gold medal.

[6] Later that month she entered the Amsterdam Marathon and surged away in the final stages to gain her first win over the distance, breaking the course record with her time of 2:21:09 hours.

Her early withdrawal, together with that of team-mate Tiki Gelana, prompted the Ethiopian Athletic Federation to ask the pair to submit written explanations for their actions.