Paris, Aug 24: The athlete formerly known as Stephen Cherono, until transferring to Qatar from Kenya, eased through his 3000m steeplechase heat at the world championships and declared he had switched allegiance because he felt the job market was better there. The 20-year-old, now known as Saif Saaeed Shaheen, came from third to first in the straight to win and make Tuesday night's final while his brother Abraham finished fourth for Kenya - but the two failed to shake hands.
"I decided about my future not my country," said Shaheen, who is being paid 1,000 dollars a month for life by the Qataris in a switch which has been heavily criticised by IOC president Jacques Rogge.
"You can only run for 20 years and say I retire after 10 years there are a lot more job opportunities in Qatar then Kenya," he added.
Shaheen said that his defection had made the rivalry with his former team-mates a bitter one.
"It is a big rivalry now but I am looking forward to the battle," he said. Bureau Report