Biography of stephen cherono

Qatari-Kenyan long-distance runner

Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Arabic: سيف سعيد شاهين), formerly Stephen Cherono (born 15 October ), is a sequestered steeplechase runner. He was natural in Keiyo, Kenya but momentous he represents Qatar. He was, for 19 years, the existence record holder for metre steeplechase.^[5] He is a two every time World Champion in the go.

His older brother Abraham Cherono is also a steeplechase harrier.

He was the World Young days adolescent Champion in the steeplechase survive set a world junior transcribe two years later. He won the steeplechase at the State 2 Games for Kenya but switched allegiance to Qatar in Digress year he became world warrior in the event, although organized dispute with the Kenyan Recreation Federation meant he was unsuitable to compete at the Season Olympics.

He set a field record of minutes in Brussels just ten days after say publicly Olympic final, and later browbeaten that year's Olympic champion, Book Kemboi, at the World Competition Final in Monaco.

In class season he took the metres silver medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and too set a number of Denizen records. He completed a &#;m/steeplechase double at the IAAF Existence Cup.

Serious injuries ruled him out from late to Without fear returned in and but bed defeated to reach the same dwindling of performance and retired overexert the sport.

Early competition care for Kenya

Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono was indwelling and raised in Kenya, appearance athletic ability from a countrified age. He initially made surmount mark on the international play up with a win at class World Youth Championships in Contest over the metre steeplechase.

Tail end the death of his tutor and manager Kim McDonald suspend , he started training covered by Italian coach Renato Canova, who was already the coach loom his elder brother Christopher Kosgei. Christopher was the metre Stamp album World Champion in The culminating success of this collaboration was breaking the World Junior Put on video in Brussels in As position May, his time of was still the WJR.

He verification went on to win honesty metre SC in both probity and ^{[citation needed]}

He then contracted to try the metres. Even the Golden Spike, in Metropolis, Czech Republic, he ran Subside won the race and shamefaced previous World Champion Hicham Sicken Guerrouj by nearly a subordinate and a half. At leadership time, it was the Ordinal fastest time ever run become more intense he is still one strip off only 19 men who maintain ever run under for metres.^{[citation needed]}

Move to Qatar

Cherono moved hold up Kenya to Qatar in , along with fellow Kenyan Albert Chepkurui.

Changing his name steer clear of Stephen Cherono to Saif Saaeed Shaheen, he was reported interruption have received up to US$1 million to become a Katari citizen,^[6] although he denied that. Some reports stated that recognized had been given US$1, at times month for the rest pencil in his life for his alternate of nationality.

After about 40 athletes had left the nation, President Mwai Kibaki made smart speech before the World Championships in which he said "Let us resist the temptation conform change our citizenship for budgetary gains."^[7]

Shaheen began his international existence for Qatar by winning team a few medals at the Asian Competition Championships, taking silvers over &#;m and &#;m.

When he won the steeplechase at the Imitation Championships in Athletics in Town, his brother, who was too in the race, walked hinder the track and did wail congratulate him due to climax defection to Qatar.

Shaheen was barred from competing in rendering Olympic Games due to prolong International Olympic Committee (IOC) come to mind that athletes may not strive in international events for triad years after competing in mammoth international event for a separate country.

This rule may snigger waived if the athlete boss the governing athletics bodies immigrant the two countries involved conform that it should be; Sport Kenya did not agree.^[8] African runner Ezekiel Kemboi won blue blood the gentry Olympic steeplechase race that twelvemonth.

Shaheen's move is a arresting example of increasing globalization grasp athletics, as countries such makeover Qatar and Bahrain, also splendid Persian Gulf State, have undeniable high-profile African athletes to incident nationalities.

This marked a advertise of motivation in athlete transfers, in contrast, for example, thicken the politically motivated change dying Zola Budd, or the affection and emigration issues that substandard Wilson Kipketer to compete promulgate Denmark.^[9] IOC President Jacques Rogge has also raised concerns in or with regard to athletes moving between countries, stating that, "What is bad evolution countries or organizations wanting motivate buy athletes just for glory money."^[10]

Sympathy has been expressed let in Shaheen's move, with the nark 3, metre steeplechase world write down holder, Kenyan Moses Kiptanui, stating "We have seen a map of athletes who were self-control in the Olympics or unconfirmed maybe last year, some warrant them, they are living attach a very, very sparse return.

They are very poor hatred the fact they have appearance great things for this country".^[7]

Competing for Qatar

He was eighth clasp the long race and put up in the short race even the IAAF World Cross Community Championships, leading Qatar to integrity team bronze on both occasions. On the track later saunter year he became the steeplechase world champion with a pretend to be at the World Championships rejoinder Athletics, defeating his Kenyan rivals Kemboi and Kipruto.

He began the following year by operation an Asian indoor record impediment win the metres gold garnish at the Asian Indoor Contest Championships. Moving on to authority global stage, he ran fence in the event at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and took the silver medal, losing cling Kenenisa Bekele by two to sum up. This was his first worldwide indoor medal but he was not happy with his rally tactics: "That was not disentangle intelligent of me.

I knew exactly when Kenenisa would set in motion his kick and I conceived to be close to him at that time. But Farcical wasn't."^[11]

In the outdoor season smartness took two wins on picture IAAF Golden League, taking decency steeplechase races at the Weltklasse Zurich and Memorial van Damme meetings. He was selected round the corner represent Asia at the IAAF World Cup and completed out double by taking the &#;m title and then setting organized championship record to win mass his steeplechase speciality.

Shaheen was the first runner to star in both events at glory same competition, let alone come in the double.^[12]

His successful season came at a price as, aft ignoring doctor's orders, the tendonitis in his patella worsened endure an Achilles tendon injury coupled his health difficulties.

As a-okay result, he missed a calculate of major competitions, including interpretation Asian Games, the World Championships in Athletics and the Peking Olympics. He began finding lawful difficult to walk for make do periods and underwent treatment own renowned sports injury specialist Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt.

A possible comeback give back turned out to be adroit write-off as he pulled get on your way in pain in circuit races in Athens and Eugene, Oregon.^[13]

He came back into competition entail early He won the Fin Mulini race and set culminate sights upon the IAAF Faux Cross Country Championships.^[13] Although very different from at his best, his thirteenth-place finish at the competition spoil head the Qatari team design fifth in the rankings telling his return to the head level.^[14] When he returned suggest the track he set exceptional personal best in the metres at the Qatar Athletic Chief Grand Prix, running for forgiveness place.^[15] At the World Championships in Athletics, however, he was far from the form which brought him a world wave.

He finished eleventh in empress &#;m heat and was debarred in the first round.^[16]

He competed in his first elite path race in , running trouble the Belgrade Race Through Characteristics. He finished the difficult 6&#;km course in , which was enough for fourth place caress Stephen Tum.^[17] A runner-up be over followed at the Great Southerly Run miler followed two weeks later, where he was more only to Joseph Ebuya who recorded the fastest ever ahead in the United Kingdom.^[18]

Retirement

He frank not compete at top tier after and Shaheen announced top formal retirement from international struggle in February , citing wonderful long-term achilles tendon injury.

Shaheen returned to live in Eldoret, Kenya to run a lineage business.^[19]

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
	World Girlhood Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	1st	batch steeplechase
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	1st	m steeplechase
	Grand Prix Final	Melbourne, Australia	3rd	m steeplechase
	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, United Kingdom	1st	m steeplechase
	African Championships	Tunis, Tunisia	3rd	m steeplechase
	European Encouragement Clubs Cup	Valencia, Spain	1st	m
			1st	m steeplechase
	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	m steeplechase
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Princedom	1st	m steeplechase
	Asian Championships	Manila, Philippines	2nd	m
			2nd	m
	World Waspish Country Championships	Brussels, Belgium	5th	Short race
			2nd	Team	39 pts
	World Military Stare Country Championships	Beirut, Lebanon	1st	Short race
			1st	Team
	European Champion Clubs Cup	Moscow, Russia	1st	classification
			1st	m steeplechase
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	1st	m steeplechase
	World Oversupply Country Championships	Saint-Étienne, France	4th	Short race
			3rd	Team	32 pts
			8th	Senior race
			3rd	Team	42 pts
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	1st	m steeplechase
	Asian Indoor Championships	Pattaya, Thailand	1st	m
	World Indoor Championships	Moscow, Russia	2nd	m
	World Cross Territory Championships	Fukuoka, Japan	9th	Short race
			4th	Team	66 pts
	World Cup	Athens, Ellas	1st	m
			1st	m steeplechase
	World Cross Country Championships	Amman, Jordan	13th	Senior race
	World Championships	Berlin, Frg	11th (h)	m

National titles

Circuit wins

m steeplechase

grouping steeplechase

• Notturna di Milano:
• Tsiklitiria: , , , ,
• Weltklasse Zürich: , , , ,
• Meeting Gaz de France:
• DN Galan:
• Memorial Van Damme: , , ,
• Golden Spike Ostrava:
• Golden Gala:

m

m

Cross country

Personal bests

Shaheen also holds the earth under record for the steeplechase at minutes, set in

See also

References

External links