News21 Mar 2006


Shaheen to continue pursuit of the legend that is Bekele – World Cross Country Championships

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Saif Saaeed Shaheen (QAT) running in the 2005 World Cross Country (© Getty Images)

MonteCarloIt is the mark of the professional drive and stature of Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar, that the double World champion and holder of the World record for the 3000m Steeplechase, with nothing to prove at his specialist distance, has continued to seek further challenges on the flat and cross country. Of these goals none seem to be as motivating as his aim of inflicting a major championship defeat on Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

Bekele, the four-time World Cross Country Championship short and long race double gold medallist, has at 23 years of age already established a CV to challenge distance running legends such as Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, and Haile Gebrselassie. With his win over 3000m at the World Indoor Championships, Moscow, a fortnight ago, the 2004 / 2005 World Athlete of the Year now uniquely holds World titles on three different surfaces, indoor and outdoor track, and cross country.

On the weekend of 1 - 2 April 2006, the two men will meet for their latest encounter when the 34th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships is held in Fukuoka, Japan, and, as occurred last year, both men have been selected to contest both the short and long distance races.

In St-Galmier last spring, Shaheen took the battle to Bekele in the World Cross short race, pouncing at the bell with what he believed would be a decisive attack, but the Qatari’s assault wilted in the 27 degree temperatures when the Ethiopian responded with ferocity some 500m later. Shaheen’s effort had been total, and in the final run into the finish he even lost out on a medal, finishing a spent fourth.

Yet there was no doubting the ambition with which Shaheen had thrown down the gauntlet to his Ethiopian rival, and when the two met again this January at the IAAF Cross Country permit meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, it seemed that the steeplechaser’s moment had finally come.

However, despite being 10 metres adrift of Shaheen with less than 800m remaining, Bekele remained cool, and applying one of the most devastating sprints in long distance history, came back to win by four seconds.

More recently in Moscow, with both men still reasonably inexperienced at indoor running, it was Bekele’s time again to show Shaheen a clean pair of heels, the Qatari not even being given the opportunity to pounce by the World indoor and outdoor 5000m record holder. Bekele took gold having kicked with two laps to go, and Shaheen, frustrated with himself, followed someway back in silver.

“That was not very intelligent of me,” said Shaheen. “I knew exactly when Kenenisa would start his kick and I planned to be close to him at that time. But I wasn’t.”

Speed, tactics, and endurance, will they at last come together for Shaheen at this year’s World Cross Country? And even if they do, what’s to guarantee that Bekele won’t still retain the edge? The questions and scenarios are many, and with plenty of other star performers from Ethiopia, Qatar, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Australia, USA…also in the mix, we are set for a vintage pair of men’s races in Fukuoka.

Chris Turner for the IAAF

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