Saif Saaeed SHAHEEN of Qatar won the most amazing 3000m Steeplechase Final on Tuesday evening, beating Kenya's Ezekiel KEMBOI to the line in a desperate sprint finish after a race that had almost everything: a pace maker, a fast start, a cat and mouse mid-section, a dramatic chase, and a neck and neck last lap ending with a breathtakingly close finish.
In winning, Shaheen, until recently known as Stephen Cherono of Kenya, denies his former home country its seventh successive World steeplechase title. The Kenyans have won every gold since 1987, in all cases all except Edmonton in 2001 claiming at least the first two medals. This time they managed 'only' second.
Shaheen's gold is also the first ever at a World Championships for Qatar, while Elisio MARTIN took a surprise bronze, Spain's first at the event.
The race started with a bang when Shaheen's Qatari team-mate Khamis Abdullah SAIFELDIN surged to the front, seemingly pace making Shaheen in a bid to break the field early, if not break a few records too. The rest were clearly taken completely by surprise, and the two leaders had a 20 metre lead by the time they'd run the first lap.
Over the second circuit, Kenya's Abraham CHERONO burst from the pack to try and make up the ground on his brother Shaheen, and he almost caught him by the end of the second lap. Then Shaheen took it on, as Saifeldin faded, his work done. His elder brother was not giving up easily, but struggled to stay in touch. They passed one kilometre in 2:36.24. With the track-side marker reading four to go Shaheen had stretched his lead to 30 metres while behind him Kenya's Ezekiel KEMBOI was catching Cherono.
Half a lap later Kemboi, sensing Shaheen was tiring, put in an amazing burst of speed to close the gap. Within a lap he had done it, and the two were together for the final kilometre. But Cherono, in third, was now being chased down by Luis Miguel MARTIN and his Spanish namesake. By the bell both Spaniards were within five metres of the leading pair and France's Bouabdallah TAHRI had also pulled himself up into contention.
With 300m left Shaheen kicked again, but Kemboi hung on, and Martin (Elisio) was another three metres adrift. Kemboi hit the water jump first and Shaheen looked beaten. But nothing about this race was predictable. Shaheen fought back and they flew over the final barrier side by side.
On the run-in, the new Qatari somehow had the strength to get to the line first, kissing his hands and spreading his arms wide, as he stopped the clock at 8:04.39, just 23-hundredths outside Moses Kiptanui's Championships record from 1995.
Kemboi clocked 8:05.11 and Martin (Elisio) won the race for bronze, breaking his personal best by more than four seconds, 8:09.09. Tahri was fourth, with Cherono the elder in fifth. Martin (Luis Miguel) was rewarded for his chasing efforts with a season's best 8:13.52 in sixth.
