Steeplechase (3,000 metres), Men

The 2002 Commonwealth Games champion was Kenya’s Stephen Cherono, while the 2003 World Championships had been won by Qatar’s Saïd Saaeed Shaheen. But they were the same person, as Cherono had taken residence in Qatar to compete for that nation, likely being well remunerated for that move. Shaheen was favored with Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi, runner-up at the 2003 Worlds. The Olympic Charter states that an athlete must wait three years after changing nationality, but that can be waived with permission of the emigré’s nation. It was not in this case, as the Kenyan Olympic Committee refused to allow Shaheen permission to compete that Olympics, and he did not run in Athina. In the final, Kemboi took his Kenyan teammates into the lead on the first lap and they ran the typical Kenyan team tactics in the steeplechase, supporting each other throughout, and running a pace that could not be matched by most runners. Only Qatar’s Musa Amer, formerly Kenya’s Moses Kipkirui, could stay in contact. At the bell these four were joined by Spain’s Luis Miguel Martín, but he was dropped quickly as the pace quickened. Kemboi pulled ahead over the water jump and won the gold medal, as the Kenyans swept the medals for the second time at the Olympics (also 1992).