Shaheen joins battle with Bekele in Edinburgh

Qatar’s World 3000m Steeplechase champion Saif Saaeed Shaheen has been added to the starting line-up for the View From Edinburgh International Cross Country in Edinburgh, Scotland on 15 January 2005.

The addition of 22-year-old Kenyan-born World 3000m Steeplechase record holder to the IAAF permit race which takes place in the Scottish capital’s Holyrood Park, has set-up the prospect of a thrilling battle with Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele whose participation was confirmed last week.

Click here for related story

However, while the two 22 year-old stars have similar reputations on the track, where they can both boast World records, Bekele credentials over the open terrain are without question the stronger. As the reigning three times World Cross Country champion over the long and short races, the Ethiopian pedigree towers above Shaheen at this discipline.

At the World Cross in Brussels this year, Shaheen finished in fifth place in the short race, a distant ‘also-ran’ in the wake of Bekele’s opening demolition of the world’s distance running elite that weekend of the 20-21 March.

Since that contest Bekele has strode to a brace of World records on the track and a gold and silver in Athens, while the Qatari, denied Olympic participation because of his change of nationality, sent his post-Olympic message to the world with a marvellous World Steeplechase record in Brussels on 3 September, and then a confident win in the World Athletics Final.

Undefeated for 15 outings at the chase, a win streak which commenced at the beginning of 2003, Shaheen will want to prove that his adoptive nation can remain a force at cross country following on from their impressive silver medal showing in Brussels behind Ethiopia’s squad in the short race.

However, Shaheen still has a lot to prove over the country as he wasn't even first home for Qatar, with another ex-Kenyan Abdullah Ahmad Hassan finishing just ahead with the same clocking in Brussels.

So Shaheen's inclusion on the start list in Edinburgh will be an interesting barometer of his form coming just two months prior to the 33rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in St-Etienne / St-Galmier, France, when he will face Bekele once more.

What is likely to count against him in Scotland is the distance of 9km. Whilst he shares similar capabilities with Bekele at 5000m on the track (NB. the men's short race at the World Cross is just over 4km), Shaheen remains virtually untested at longer disciplines.

Chris Turner for the IAAF