Analysis
In Kenya, where the steeplechase is virtually the national sport and source of national pride, the top up and coming athletes in 2003 were Stephen Cherono and Ezekiel Kemboi. Along with Stephen's brother Abraham Cherono, they swept the 2002 Commonwealth Games Steeplechase for Kenya. In 2003, there was a huge change.
Qatar was near the beginning of their program to purchase mercenary athletes; young, promising athletes who would take Qatari citizenship and (unique to Qatar's program) take on a different name. Stephen, and some 40 other athletes, took the deal. Changing his name from Stephen Cherono to Saif Saaeed Shaheen, he was reported to have received up to US$1 million to become a Qatari citizen, although he denied this. This was the first major competition where, as Shaheen, he was wearing a different country's bib. This angered his former teammates who were determined to beat him.
Over the previous two decades, Kenyan athletes have learned how to use team tactics to essentially gang up on the rest of the world while assuring another Kenyan victory. Shaheen had learned these tactics. Now virtually alone, he had to figure out how to beat them. He chose to run away from them. Alone out front, no team could get in his way. He did have a teammate in the race, a veteran former Sudanese athlete who had been running for Qatar for several years, Khamis Abdullah Saifeldin. Beaten off the start line by three Kenyans, Saifeldin literally elbowed his way to the already forming Kenyan blockade at the front. Sidestepping into the next lane he sprinted past them followed by Shaheen who was with the lead Kenyans waiting for his arrival. Saifeldin was first over the first barrier with Shaheen in tow and a gap already forming. The only athlete to bridge the gap was Shaheen's brother, Abraham Cherono. The first lap was just over 60 seconds, 4 minute mile pace. 2:04 by the second lap (now slightly shorter laps through the water jump). 1000 metres into the race and Saifeldin was exhausted and started to drop back. Shaheen accelerated around him. 3:06 for three laps. Soon Abraham started to fall back, Shaheen was alone. With the pack disappearing behind them, Shaheen was cranking out laps at sub-world record pace. By the fourth lap at 4:12 he had opened up a 20 metre lead, but on the fifth lap, he was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
His closest pursuer, Kemboi was rapidly began gaining on Shaheen. With a thousand metres to go, Kemboi was frustrated with his slow gains against Shaneen's huge lead and suddenly sprinted to both catch Shaheen then to keep on running past him, creating a 7 metre gap of his own. This time Shaheen did not go away, making back the gap to mark Kemboi. Two barriers later, Shaheen sprinted into the lead and Kemboi sprinted back to the front. With all the spurts and retreats, the lead pace had slowed while the peloton had steadily made up the lost ground. Led by Luis Miguel Martín and Eliseo Martín, the pack had moved back into contention, with the French home crowd excited that Bouabdellah Tahri was in the mix with a lap to go. But the two prizefighters at the front didn't notice, they were still throwing their best punches at each other.
At the bell, Kemboi again sprinted to open up a slight gap. After the fourth barrier, Shaheen sprinted past, opening up a gap over the third barrier and into the water jump. This move at the fourth barrier would later become Kemboi's trademark. Also, unlike later years, Kemboi took the water jump carefully by pushing off the barrier. Coming out of the pit, Kemboi positioned himself for one final sprint, passing Shaheen over the final barrier on the outside. With a slight gap, Kemboi looked to be sprinting to victory, but Shaheen surged again taking the lead thirty metres out. Defeated, the exhausted Kemboi jogged across the line and lay down on the track.
While bronze medalist Eliseo Martín, enthusiastically came to congratulate Shaheen, the Kenyans did not congratulate their former teammate, now traitor, on his victory. Even his own brother walked off the track in disgust.
Without Shaheen in the race, Kemboi would claim Olympic gold the following year. A couple of weeks later, Shahen would one up him again by setting what is still the current world record in the event. Shaheen would repeat as champion in 2005, again over Kemboi, but would then disappear from the scene. After three straight silver medals, Kemboi would finally take gold in 2009, beginning a legendary winning streak of four straight gold medals and seven straight gold or silver medals through 2015 and another Olympic gold in 2012. Each of those victories was marked with a celebration victory dance and the same sprint between the fourth and third remaining barriers that he learned from Shaheen in this race.
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3000m Steeplechase |
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26 August |
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Final |
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Event Report 3000m Steeplechase
Saif Saaeed SHAHEEN of Qatar won the most amazing 3000m Steeplechase Final on Tuesday evening, beating Kenya's Ezekiel KEMBOI to the line in a desperate sprint finish after a race that had almost everything: a pace maker, a fast start, a cat and mouse mid-section, a dramatic chase, and a neck and neck last lap ending with a breathtakingly close finish.
In winning, Shaheen, until recently known as Stephen Cherono of Kenya, denies his former home country its seventh successive World steeplechase title. The Kenyans have won every gold since 1987, in all cases all except Edmonton in 2001 claiming at least the first two medals. This time they managed 'only' second.
Shaheen's gold is also the first ever at a World Championships for Qatar, while Elisio MARTIN took a surprise bronze, Spain's first at the event.
The race started with a bang when Shaheen's Qatari team-mate Khamis Abdullah SAIFELDIN surged to the front, seemingly pace making Shaheen in a bid to break the field early, if not break a few records too. The rest were clearly taken completely by surprise, and the two leaders had a 20 metre lead by the time they'd run the first lap.
Over the second circuit, Kenya's Abraham CHERONO burst from the pack to try and make up the ground on his brother Shaheen, and he almost caught him by the end of the second lap. Then Shaheen took it on, as Saifeldin faded, his work done. His elder brother was not giving up easily, but struggled to stay in touch. They passed one kilometre in 2:36.24. With the track-side marker reading four to go Shaheen had stretched his lead to 30 metres while behind him Kenya's Ezekiel KEMBOI was catching Cherono.
Half a lap later Kemboi, sensing Shaheen was tiring, put in an amazing burst of speed to close the gap. Within a lap he had done it, and the two were together for the final kilometre. But Cherono, in third, was now being chased down by Luis Miguel MARTIN and his Spanish namesake. By the bell both Spaniards were within five metres of the leading pair and France's Bouabdallah TAHRI had also pulled himself up into contention.
With 300m left Shaheen kicked again, but Kemboi hung on, and Martin (Elisio) was another three metres adrift. Kemboi hit the water jump first and Shaheen looked beaten. But nothing about this race was predictable. Shaheen fought back and they flew over the final barrier side by side.
On the run-in, the new Qatari somehow had the strength to get to the line first, kissing his hands and spreading his arms wide, as he stopped the clock at 8:04.39, just 23-hundredths outside Moses Kiptanui's Championships record from 1995.
Kemboi clocked 8:05.11 and Martin (Elisio) won the race for bronze, breaking his personal best by more than four seconds, 8:09.09. Tahri was fourth, with Cherono the elder in fifth. Martin (Luis Miguel) was rewarded for his chasing efforts with a season's best 8:13.52 in sixth.
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1 |
Saif Saeed Shaheen |
QAT |
15 Oct 82 |
8.04.39 |
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2 |
Ezekiel Kemboi |
KEN |
25 May 82 |
8.05.11 |
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3 |
Eliseo Martín |
ESP |
5 Nov 73 |
8.09.09 |
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4 |
Bouabdellah Tahri |
FRA |
20 Dec 78 |
8.10.65 |
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5 |
Abraham Cherono |
KEN |
21 Jul 80 |
8.13.37 |
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6 |
Luís Miguel Martín |
ESP |
11 Jan 72 |
8.13.52 |
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7 |
Simon Vroemen |
NED |
11 May 69 |
8.13.71 |
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8 |
José Luis Blanco |
ESP |
3 Jun 75 |
8.17.16 |
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9 |
Jukka Keskisalo |
FIN |
27 Mar 81 |
8.17.72 |
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10 |
Ali Ezzine |
MAR |
3 Sep 78 |
8.19.15 |
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11 |
Yoshitaka Iwamizu |
JPN |
20 Jun 79 |
8.19.29 |
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12 |
Khamis Abdulla Saifeldin |
QAT |
1 Dec 76 |
8.28.37 |
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13 |
Abdelkader Hachlaf |
MAR |
3 Jul 79 |
8.35.17 |
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Reuben Kosgei |
KEN |
2 Aug 79 |
DNF |
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Luleseged Wale |
ETH |
29 May 82 |
DNS |
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Heats |
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23 August |
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Heat 1 |
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Men 3000 m Steeplechase Heats
Eight men broke 8:20.00 in the heats of the men’s 3000 metres Steeplechase this evening, headed by Kenya’s Ezekiel KEMBOI, the second fastest man in the world this year. Kemboi won the first heat in 8:18.10, and all three of the fastest qualifiers came from this race.
Not Kemboi’s Kenyan team-mate, Michael KIPYEGO, however. With eight Kenyans among the top 10 steeplechasers in the world this year, when one of them fails to make the final of the World Championships it merits a mention, even if Kipyego is not one of those eight. He was winding up for a battle down the home straight, chasing a fastest losers’ spot, when he slipped in the final water jump, a mishap that put him out of contention.
A bunch of his current and former countrymen helped to keep his nation’s tradition alive though. Apart from Kemboi, Abraham CHERONO scrambled to finish fourth (and so qualify automatically) in the second heat, won by his former namesake Saif Saaeed SHAHEEN of Qatar (formerly Stephen Cherono of Kenya) in 8:22.20.
SHAHEEN is the fastest man in the world this year, with a best of 8:02.48, more than seven seconds faster than the reigning world champion Reuben KOSGEI (KEN), who also went through, but only in fourth place from heat three. That race was won by Spain’s Luis Miguel MARTIN, who had time to wave at the track-side TV camera as he ran down the back straight before coasting home in 8:19.09.
Kosgei’s time was 8:20.63, just over half a second quicker than the man he beat in the Edmonton Final, Ali EZZINE of Morocco, who was another fastest loser for Tuesday evening’s Final. Japan’s Yoshitaka IWAMIZU set a new national record of 8:18.93 to qualify.
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1 |
Ezekiel Kemboi |
KEN |
25 May 82 |
8.18.09 |
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Q |
2 |
Simon Vroemen |
NED |
11 May 69 |
8.18.24 |
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Q |
3 |
José Luis Blanco |
ESP |
3 Jun 75 |
8.18.76 |
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Q |
4 |
Yoshitaka Iwamizu |
JPN |
20 Jun 79 |
8.18.93 |
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Q |
5 |
Khamis Abdulla Saifeldin |
QAT |
1 Dec 76 |
8.19.64 |
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q |
6 |
Ali Ezzine |
MAR |
3 Sep 78 |
8.20.10 |
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q |
7 |
Luleseged Wale |
ETH |
29 May 82 |
8.21.30 |
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q |
8 |
Peter Nowill |
AUS |
15 Jun 79 |
8.26.22 |
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9 |
Michael Kipyego |
KEN |
2 Oct 83 |
8.27.45 |
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10 |
Daniel Lincoln |
USA |
22 Oct 80 |
8.32.47 |
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11 |
Vincent Le Dauphin |
FRA |
28 Jun 76 |
8.36.42 |
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12 |
Matt Kerr |
CAN |
3 May 76 |
8.57.62 |
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Heat 2 |
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1 |
Saif Saeed Shaheen |
QAT |
15 Oct 82 |
8.22.20 |
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Q |
2 |
Jukka Keskisalo |
FIN |
27 Mar 81 |
8.22.41 |
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Q |
3 |
Eliseo Martín |
ESP |
5 Nov 73 |
8.22.54 |
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Q |
4 |
Abraham Cherono |
KEN |
21 Jul 80 |
8.22.67 |
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Q |
5 |
Boštjan Buč |
SLO |
13 Apr 80 |
8.22.89 |
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6 |
Zouhair El Ouardi |
MAR |
15 Feb 77 |
8.23.75 |
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7 |
Abdelhakim Maazouz |
ALG |
28 Aug 75 |
8.24.60 |
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8 |
Martin Pröll |
AUT |
21 Mar 81 |
8.25.84 |
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9 |
Mustafa Mohamed |
SWE |
1 Mar 79 |
8.25.99 |
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10 |
Lotfi Turki |
TUN |
6 Mar 75 |
8.28.95 |
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11 |
Angelo Iannelli |
ITA |
27 Jul 76 |
8.36.08 |
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12 |
Robert Gary |
USA |
5 Apr 73 |
8.38.20 |
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Heat 3 |
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1 |
Luís Miguel Martín |
ESP |
11 Jan 72 |
8.19.09 |
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Q |
2 |
Bouabdellah Tahri |
FRA |
20 Dec 78 |
8.19.44 |
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Q |
3 |
Abdelkader Hachlaf |
MAR |
3 Jul 79 |
8.19.49 |
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Q |
4 |
Reuben Kosgei |
KEN |
2 Aug 79 |
8.20.63 |
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Q |
5 |
Steve Slattery |
USA |
14 Aug 80 |
8.22.32 |
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6 |
Tewodros Shiferaw |
ETH |
21 Sep 80 |
8.23.41 |
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7 |
Radosław Popławski |
POL |
16 Jan 83 |
8.24.34 |
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8 |
Vadym Slobodenyuk |
UKR |
17 Mar 81 |
8.28.64 |
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9 |
Filmon Ghirmai |
GER |
25 Jan 79 |
8.28.89 |
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10 |
Pavel Potapovich |
RUS |
26 Nov 80 |
8.38.63 |
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11 |
Motsamai Motone |
RSA |
26 Jun 78 |
9.05.45 |
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Günther Weidlinger |
AUT |
5 Apr 78 |
DNF |
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