With a nagging Achilles tendon injury knocking him out of next month’s Asian Games, Saif Saaeed Shaheen is looking towards the upcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya as his next primary objective.

The World record holder in the 3000m Steeplechase, the Kenyan-born Qatari Shaheen was planning a Steeplechase/5000m double in Doha for his adopted country, but unable to bounce back from the injury setback, will be forced into a role as observer from the sidelines.

“Despite intensive treatment in Kenya and in Europe he will not be able to run," said his manager Ricky Simms, of Pace Sports Management. "He will now focus on getting healthy and hopes to be back in top shape for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in March.”

Known primarily for his feats on the track, particularly in the Steeplechase which he has come to dominate over the past several seasons, the 24-year-old is also shaping himself into a major force in cross country. And with Kenenisa Bekele apparently deciding against a title defence in Mombasa, Shaheen could emerge as a solid podium threat as the championships approach.

Fifth in the short course race at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships in Brussels, he doubled in St. Etienne/St. Galmier the following year, improving a notch to fourth over the short course and eighth over the long course.

He began the 2006 cross country season in Edinburgh in January, where he nearly upset World champion Bekele. There, Shaheen led until the final 800 metres, before the Ethiopian kicked past him for a four second victory.

After the race in the Scottish capital, he took a month-long break from the grass and mud to make his eagerly anticipated indoor track debut, first with a 3000m victory at the Asian Indoor Championships, and then again with a runner-up finish at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, where again he was outdistanced by Bekele. But he struggled in the Fukuoka short course race three weeks later, finishing a distant eighth, 14 seconds behind Bekele.

Shaheen, largely regarded as a thoroughly entertaining performer on the track, raced somewhat sparingly over the summer, but made each of his seven outings count. In addition to his four-for-four record in his specialty, increasing his win streak to 24 finals, currently the longest streak in the sport, Shaheen added a pair of IAAF Golden League runner-up finishes in two outings over his secondary events: in the Rome 5000m where he trailed Bekele by half a second, and in the Berlin 1500m, where he was second to Kenyan Augustine Choge. He capped his season with a unique Steeplechase/5000m double at the World Cup in Athens.

With Mombasa as his primary focus over the winter months, one could surmise that Shaheen will make that race count as well.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF