Saif Saaeed Shaheen facts for kids

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Saif Saaeed Shaheen

Shaheen in 2009
Personal information
Birth name	Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono
Citizenship	Qatari (from August 2003) Kenyan (Until August 2003)
Born	(1982-10-15) 15 October 1982 (age 42) Kamelilo Village, Iron Location, Keiyo District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Weight	60 kilograms (130 lb)
Spouse(s)	Monica Kangogo
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	3000 m steeplechase 3000 m 5000 m Cross country
Retired	2016
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing  Qatar World Championships Gold 2003 Paris 3000 m st. Gold 2005 Helsinki 3000 m st. World Indoor Championships Silver 2006 Moscow 3000 m Asian Championships Silver 2003 Manila 1500 m Silver 2003 Manila 5000 m Representing  Kenya World Youth Championships Gold 1999 Bydgoszcz 2000 m st. Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester 3000 m st.
Updated on 4 May 2018.

Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Arabic: سيف سعيد شاهين), born Stephen Cherono on October 15, 1982, is a retired steeplechase runner. He was born in Keiyo, Kenya, but later represented Qatar. For 19 years, he held the world record for the 3000 meter steeplechase. He also won the World Championship in this event twice. His older brother, Abraham Cherono, is also a steeplechase runner.

Saif Saaeed Shaheen was the 1999 World Youth Champion in the steeplechase. Two years later, he set a world junior record. He won the steeplechase at the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Kenya. However, in 2003, he decided to change his nationality to Qatar. That same year, he became a world champion in the event. A disagreement with the Kenyan Athletics Federation meant he could not compete in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Just ten days after the 2004 Olympic final, he set a new world record of 7:53.63 minutes in Brussels. Later, he beat the 2004 Olympic champion, Ezekiel Kemboi, at the 2004 World Athletics Final in Monaco. In 2006, he won a silver medal in the 3000 metres at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He also set several Asian records. He achieved a special "double win" at the 2006 IAAF World Cup, winning both the 5000 meter and steeplechase races. Serious injuries kept him from competing from late 2006 to 2008. He tried to come back in 2009 and 2010 but could not reach his previous top level. He retired from the sport in 2016.

Early Career for Kenya

Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono grew up in Kenya and showed great athletic talent from a young age. He first gained international attention by winning the 2000 meter steeplechase at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics. After his coach and manager, Kim McDonald, passed away in 2001, he began training with Italian coach Renato Canova. Canova also coached Stephen's older brother, Christopher Kosgei, who was the 3000 meter steeplechase World Champion in 1999.

Working with Canova, Stephen quickly broke the World Junior Record in Brussels in 2001. His time of 7:58.66 was still the World Junior Record as of May 2017. He then went on to win the 3000 meter steeplechase at the 2003 and 2005 World Championships.

He also tried running the 5000 meters. At the 2003 Golden Spike event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, he ran a time of 12:48.81. He won the race, beating the famous runner Hicham El Guerrouj. At that time, it was the seventh fastest 5000 meter race ever run. He is still one of only 19 men who have ever run under 12:50 for 5000 meters.

Changing to Qatar

In 2003, Stephen Cherono moved from Kenya to Qatar. He changed his name to Saif Saaeed Shaheen. There were reports that he received a large sum of money to become a Qatari citizen, though he denied this. Some reports suggested he would receive money every month for the rest of his life for changing his nationality. After about 40 athletes left Kenya, the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki spoke out. He warned athletes not to change their citizenship just for money.

Shaheen started his international career for Qatar by winning two silver medals at the 2003 Asian Athletics Championships. He placed second in both the 1500 meter and 5000 meter races. When he won the steeplechase at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, his brother, who was also in the race, did not congratulate him. This was because of his decision to compete for Qatar.

Shaheen was not allowed to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games. This was due to a rule by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The rule states that athletes cannot compete for a new country for three years after competing for a different country. This rule can be waived if both countries agree, but Athletics Kenya did not agree. The Kenyan runner Ezekiel Kemboi won the Olympic steeplechase race that year.

Shaheen's move shows how athletics is becoming more global. Countries like Qatar and Bahrain have encouraged talented African athletes to change their nationalities. This is different from earlier reasons for athletes changing countries, like political reasons or marriage. IOC President Jacques Rogge has also expressed concerns about countries "buying" athletes just for money.

Some people understood Shaheen's decision. Moses Kiptanui, a former 3000 meter steeplechase world record holder from Kenya, said that many past Kenyan athletes who achieved great things are now very poor.

Competing for Qatar

In 2005, Shaheen finished eighth in the long race and fourth in the short race at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. His performance helped Qatar win team bronze medals in both events. Later that year, he became the steeplechase world champion again at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He beat his Kenyan rivals, Kemboi and Kipruto.

The next year, he set an Asian indoor record to win the 3000 meters gold medal at the 2006 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. At the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships, he won the silver medal in the 3000 meters, finishing behind Kenenisa Bekele. This was his first global indoor medal. He later said he wasn't happy with his race strategy.

During the outdoor season, he won two races in the 2006 IAAF Golden League. He won the steeplechase at the Weltklasse Zurich and Memorial van Damme meetings. He was chosen to represent Asia at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. There, he achieved a double victory, winning the 5000 meter title and setting a championship record in his specialty, the steeplechase. Shaheen was the first runner to win medals in both events at the same competition.

His successful season came with a cost. He ignored doctor's orders, and his tendinitis in his knee worsened. He also developed an Achilles tendon injury. Because of these injuries, he missed several big competitions, including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He even found it hard to walk for long periods. He received treatment from a famous sports injury specialist, Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. He tried to come back in 2008 but had to stop during races due to pain.

He returned to competition in early 2009. He won the Cinque Mulini race and aimed for the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Although not at his very best, he finished thirteenth, leading the Qatari team to fifth place. This showed he was back at a high level. When he returned to track events, he set a personal best in the 3000 metres at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, running 7:32.46 for fourth place. However, at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, he was not in world-record form. He finished eleventh in his 5000 meter heat and was eliminated early.

In 2010, he competed in his first elite road race, the Belgrade Race Through History. He finished the tough 6 km course in 16:57, placing fourth. Two weeks later, he was runner-up at the Great South Run 10-miler, finishing second only to Joseph Ebuya.

Retirement

Saif Saaeed Shaheen did not compete at the top level after 2010. In February 2016, he officially announced his retirement from international competition. He explained that a long-term Achilles tendon injury prevented him from continuing. Shaheen returned to live in Eldoret, Kenya, where he now runs a family business.

International Competitions

National Titles

• Kenyan Athletics Championships
  • 3000 m steeplechase: 2002

Circuit Wins

2000 m steeplechase

• Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix: 2005

3000 m steeplechase

• Notturna di Milano: 2002
• Tsiklitiria: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Weltklasse Zürich: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Meeting Gaz de France: 2003
• DN Galan: 2003
• Memorial Van Damme: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Golden Spike Ostrava: 2004
• Golden Gala: 2005

3000 m

• BW-Bank Meeting: 2010

5000 m

• Golden Spike Ostrava: 2003

Cross country

• Cinque Mulini: 2005, 2009

Personal Best Times

• 1500 metres – 3:33.51 (2006)
• 2000 metres – 5:03.06 (2001)
• 3000 metres – 7:32.46 (2009)
• Two miles – 8:18.80 (1999)
• 5000 metres – 12:48.81 (2003) NR
• 2000 metres steeplechase – 5:14.53 (2005) AR NR
• 3000 metres steeplechase – 7:53.63 (2004) WR WU23B AR NR
• 10 miles – 46:37 (2010)

Shaheen also holds the world under-20 record for the steeplechase at 7:58.66 minutes, set in 2001.

See Also

• List of eligibility transfers in athletics
• List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (men)
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics (men)
• Kenya at the World Championships in Athletics
• List of Qatar-related topics