Posted: January 3, 2006

Athletics: Shaheen, Ochichi Join Edinburgh Fields, Rare Indoor Appearance On Tap For Shaheen As Well

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

Saif Saaeed Shaheen, the two-time world champion in the steeplechase and Isabella Ochichi, the reigning Olympic silver medallist in the 5000m, have been added to the Visit Scotland Great Edinburgh Cross Country races on 14 January in the Scottish capital, organizers announced today.

Fourth in the race last year, Shaheen, the world record holder in his specialty, joins a strong field that includes Olympic and two-time world 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele, Eritrean Zersenay Tadesse, and six-time European champion Sergiy Lebid. Top American Dathan Ritzenhein is also in the field.

Shaheen, the former Kenyan Stephen Cherono who now competes for Qatar, will kick off a winter campaign that will include a rare indoor race, and possibly an appearance at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow in March, according to his coach, Renato Canova. That decision will be made, Canova said, after his 3000 meter race at the Sparkassen Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, on 4-February.

“If he will run about 7:40 or 7:38, then it will be possible to compete at the 7:30 level in Moscow, which is the minimum level really for the World Indoor Championships.”

The World Cross Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in early April might also be in the plans. Last year, Shaheen finished fourth in the short race and eighth in the long race.

"The fact he took some time to think about returning [to Edinburgh] and already knew Bekele was in the race, is an indication Shaheen feels he can produce a top performance," said Matthew Turnbull, the race's elite athletics director. "The men's field has now leveled out almost perfectly."

Ochichi, the 26-year-old Kenyan who capped a strong 2005 season with a win on New Year's Eve at the BoClassic 5Km road race in Bolzano, Italy, is the current headliner in the women's race, which also includes Briton Jo Pavey, Aniko Kalovics of Hungary, and for Olympic 5000m silver medallist Sonia O'Sullivan. Organizers expect a few more confirmations in the next few days.

Ochichi was cautiously optimistic about the new year after her convincing win in Bolzano.

“I felt very strong,” she said, despite the cold conditions in northern Italy. “So now I hope I’m on the right track training for cross country."

Turnbull said he hopes a few more additions to the women’s race can be confirmed in the next few days.

"The women's race in particular needs beefing up," he said. "There are names in the hat and I think the next 48 hours are critical in hoping the top names I want decide to come to Edinburgh," said Turnbull.

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