Saif Saaeed Shaheen facts for kids
Shaheen in 2009
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| Birth name | Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Qatari (from August 2003) Kenyan (Until August 2003) |
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| Born | 15 October 1982 Kamelilo Village, Iron Location, Keiyo District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya |
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| Weight | 60 kilograms (130 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Monica Kangogo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 3000 m steeplechase 3000 m 5000 m Cross country |
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| Retired | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 4 May 2018. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saif Saaeed Shaheen (born 15 October 1982), originally named Stephen Cherono, is a retired athlete. He was a steeplechase runner, which is a race with hurdles and water jumps. Shaheen was born in Kenya but later represented Qatar.
For 19 years, he held the world record for the 3000 metre steeplechase. He also won the World Championships twice in this event. His older brother, Abraham Cherono, is also a steeplechase runner.
Shaheen won the World Youth Championship in steeplechase in 1999. Two years later, he set a world junior record. He won the steeplechase at the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Kenya. In 2003, he changed his nationality to Qatar. That same year, he became a world champion.
He set a new world record of 7:53.63 minutes in Brussels in 2004. This was just ten days after the Olympic final. He later beat the 2004 Olympic champion, Ezekiel Kemboi, at the World Athletics Final. In 2006, he won a silver medal in the 3000 metres at the World Indoor Championships. He also set several Asian records. Shaheen retired from the sport in 2016 due to injuries.
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Early Running Days in Kenya
Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono was born and grew up in Kenya. He showed great athletic talent from a young age. His first big international win was at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics. He won the 2000 metre steeplechase race there.
After his coach passed away in 2001, he started training with Renato Canova. Canova also coached his older brother, Christopher Koskei, who was a 3000 metre steeplechase World Champion in 1999. Their teamwork quickly led to success. In 2001, Shaheen broke the World Junior Record in Brussels. His time of 7:58.66 minutes was still the World Junior Record as of May 2017. He then went on to win the 3000 metre steeplechase at the World Championships in both 2003 and 2005.
He also tried running the 5000 metres. In 2003, he ran a very fast time of 12:48.81 minutes in Ostrava, Czech Republic. He won that race, beating the famous runner Hicham El Guerrouj. At that time, it was the seventh fastest 5000 metre race ever run. Only a few athletes have ever run under 12:50 for 5000 metres.
Becoming a Qatari Athlete
In 2003, Stephen Cherono moved from Kenya to Qatar. He changed his name to Saif Saaeed Shaheen. There were reports that he received a lot of money to become a Qatari citizen. However, he said this was not true. Some people said he would get money every month for the rest of his life.
Many athletes were leaving Kenya to compete for other countries. Because of this, Kenya's President spoke out. He asked athletes not to change their citizenship just for money.
Shaheen started his international career for Qatar by winning two silver medals. He won them at the 2003 Asian Athletics Championships. He got silver in both the 1500 metres and 5000 metres. When he won the steeplechase at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, his brother was also in the race. His brother did not congratulate him because of his decision to switch countries.
Shaheen was not allowed to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games. This was due to a rule from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The rule says athletes cannot compete for a new country for three years after competing for a different one. This rule can be waived if both countries agree, but Kenya did not agree. Another Kenyan runner, Ezekiel Kemboi, won the Olympic steeplechase race that year.
Shaheen's move showed a new trend in athletics. Countries like Qatar and Bahrain were asking top African athletes to change their nationalities. This was different from earlier reasons for changing countries, like political reasons or marriage. The head of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, was worried about this trend. He said it was wrong for countries to "buy athletes just for the money."
However, some people understood Shaheen's choice. Moses Kiptanui, a former world record holder from Kenya, said that many Kenyan athletes who achieved great things ended up very poor.
Running 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. He won at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, beating his rivals from Kenya.
In 2006, he started the year by setting an Asian indoor record. He won the 3000 metres gold medal at the 2006 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. He then competed at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He won a silver medal in the 3000 metres, finishing just two seconds behind Kenenisa Bekele. This was his first global indoor medal.
During the outdoor season, he won two steeplechase races. These were at the Weltklasse Zurich and Memorial van Damme meetings in 2006. He was chosen to represent Asia at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. There, he won the 5000 metres title. He then set a championship record to win his special event, 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 had ignored doctor's orders, and his knee pain got worse. He also developed an Achilles tendon injury. Because of these injuries, he missed many big competitions. These included 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 doctor. He tried to come back in 2008 but had to stop 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. He finished thirteenth there, helping the Qatari team to fifth place. This showed he was back at a high level. When he returned to the track, he set a personal best in the 3000 metres. He ran 7:32.46 at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix. However, at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, he was not at his best. He finished eleventh in his 5000 metre heat and was eliminated early.
In 2010, he ran his first elite road race. He competed at the Belgrade Race Through History. He finished the tough 6 km course in 16:57, taking fourth place. Two weeks later, he finished second at the Great South Run 10-miler. He was only beaten by Joseph Ebuya, who set a record for the fastest time in the United Kingdom.
Retirement
Saif Saaeed Shaheen did not compete at the top level after 2010. He officially announced his retirement from international running in February 2016. He said a long-term Achilles tendon injury was the reason. Shaheen returned to live in Eldoret, Kenya, where he now runs a family business.
Major Achievements
Shaheen achieved many great things in his running career:
- 1999 World Youth Championships: Gold medal in 2000 m steeplechase (for Kenya)
- 2001 Goodwill Games: Gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase (for Kenya)
- 2002 Commonwealth Games: Gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase (for Kenya)
- 2003 World Championships: Gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase (for Qatar)
- 2003 Asian Championships: Two silver medals (1500 m and 5000 m) (for Qatar)
- 2004 World Athletics Final: Gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase (for Qatar)
- 2005 World Championships: Gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase (for Qatar)
- 2006 World Indoor Championships: Silver medal in 3000 m (for Qatar)
- 2006 World Cup: Two gold medals (5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase) (for Qatar)
Personal Best Times
These are Saif Saaeed Shaheen's fastest times in different races:
- 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) (Qatari National Record)
- 2000 metres steeplechase: 5:14.53 (2005) (Asian and Qatari National Record)
- 3000 metres steeplechase: 7:53.63 (2004) (World Record, World Under-23 Best, Asian and Qatari National Record)
- 10 miles: 46:37 (2010)
Shaheen also holds the world under-20 record for the steeplechase. He set it at 7:58.66 minutes in 2001.
Images for kids
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Shaheen in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Saif Saaeed Shaheen para niños
