 Shaheen in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Stephen Cheruiyot Cherono |
| Citizenship | Qatari (from August 2003)[1] Kenyan[2] (Until August 2003) |
| Born | 15 October 1982[3] Kamelilo Village, Iron Location, Keiyo District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya[3] |
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)[3][4] |
| Weight | 60 kg (130 lb)[3][4] |
| Spouse | Monica Kangogo |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 3000 m steeplechase 3000 m 5000 m Cross country |
| Retired | 2016 |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 4 May 2018 | |
Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Arabic: سيف سعيد شاهين), formerly Stephen Cherono (born 15 October 1982), is a retired steeplechase runner. He was born in Keiyo, Kenya but now he represents Qatar. He was, for 19 years, the world record holder for 3000 metre steeplechase.[5] He is a two time World Champion in the event. His older brother Abraham Cherono is also a steeplechase runner.
He was the 1999 World Youth Champion in the steeplechase and set a world junior record two years later. He won the steeplechase at the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Kenya but switched allegiance to Qatar in 2003. That year he became world champion in the event, although a dispute with the Kenyan Athletics Federation meant he was ineligible to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He set a world record of 7:53.63 minutes in Brussels just ten days after the Olympic final, and later defeated that year's Olympic champion, Ezekiel Kemboi, at the 2004 World Athletics Final in Monaco.
In the 2006 season he took the 3000 metres silver medal at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships and also set a number of Asian records. He completed a 5000 m/steeplechase double at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. Serious injuries ruled him out from late 2006 to 2008. He returned in 2009 and 2010 but failed to reach the same level of performance and retired from the sport.
- ^ "Kenya: Saif Saaeed Shaheen: How And Why I Dumped Kenyan Passport". allafrica.com. International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ "Kenyan turns into a Qatar hero: Cherono wins under another name and flag". The Guardian. 27 August 2003. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Saif Saeed Shaheen". iaaf.org. Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Saif Saeed Shaheen". ESPN. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
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