Leonard Mucheru Maina (born 13 June 1978 in Nyandarua) is a Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

, who started from 2004 until 2007 as Mushir Salem Jawher ( ar, مشير سالم جوهر), having acquired the citizenship of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

Career

Mucheru originally represented Kenya and finished fourth in the short race at the 2000 World Cross Country Championships. He moved to

in 2003 and was granted citizenship in 2004, at the same time getting a new

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

name. At that time Bahrain acquired a number of runners from African countries, especially Kenya. In 2001, Mucheru won the Millrose Games 3,000 Meters in a time of 7:50.01, and also won the Rye Derby 5-Mile race in 23:18. Before changing nationality Maina finished seventh at the 2003 World Indoor Championships and fourth at the 2003 World Athletics Final. In 2004 he became Asian Indoor Champion for Bahrain in 3000 metres. This stirred some controversy as he, according to

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

rules, was not eligible to run for his new country until 16 March 2006. At the end of the season he finished fourth at the

World Athletics Final The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the ...

for the second year in a row. However, he was absent from the top international level until late 2006 when he won a silver medal at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

. Other medalists for Bahrain included

Yusuf Saad Kamel Yusuf Saad Kamel ( ar, يوسف سعد كامل), born Gregory Konchellah (born 29 March 1983) is a male former middle-distance runner who competed in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. Born in Narok, Kenya – the son of former two-time 800 metres W ...

Belal Mansoor Ali Belal Mansoor Ali ( ar, بلال منصور علي; born 17 October 1988) is a middle distance runner now representing Bahrain after changing nationality from Kenya. He was born John Yego on 17 October 1988 in Kenya. Works with Bahrain Defence ...

and

Tareq Mubarak Taher Tareq Mubarak Taher, born as Dennis Kipkurui Sang ( ar, طارق مبارك طاهر, born 1 December 1986), is a middle-distance runner who represents Bahrain after changing nationality from Kenya. His speciality is the 3000 metres steeplechase ...

, also imported from Kenya. On 4 January 2007, Jawher won his first

marathon race The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road running, road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also w ...

, the

Tiberias Marathon The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel. At approximately 200 meters below sea level, this is the lowest course in the world. The competition was first held in 1977, and also hosts the annual I ...

held in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, finishing in 2 hours 12 minutes and 13 seconds. He was the first athlete from an Arab country to compete in Israel, and was subsequently stripped of his Bahraini citizenship. On 21 January 2007 it was reported that Bahrain had reversed its decision to strip him of his Bahraini citizenship, and has been allowed to continue competing for the Persian Gulf state. In December 2007, it was reported that he had re-acquired Kenyan citizenship. He successfully defended his Tiberias Marathon title in 2008 with a course record of 2:10:30. It was also his personal best then. Mucheru competed Tiberias Marathon again in 2009, but finished 2nd with a time of 2:09:37. The winner, Jackson Kipkoech from Kenya, set a new course record of 2:08:07. In 2010, he failed to make the top ten at the Tiberias race, but was eighth at the high-calibre

Dubai Marathon The Dubai Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. History Initial era The inaugural Dubai Marathon was held ...

and fourth at the

San Diego Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race held in San Diego, California. Established in 1998, it is the original race in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. The event includes a half marathon.Cruz, Dan (2010-06-07)Lim ...

.Mucheru Leonard
Marathon Info. Retrieved on 12 April 2011. He improved his personal best by over half a minute at the

Daegu Marathon The Daegu International Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in April in Daegu, South Korea. The day's events also feature a 5K event and a 10K event, as well as the full course marathon (42.195 km). The race begins and end ...

in April 2011, taking third place overall.Jalava, Mirko (11 April 2011)
Course records fall at Daegu Marathon

.. a Retrieved on 12 April 2011.

Personal bests

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

– 3:33.79 min (2001) *One mile – 3:49.75 min (2001) *

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

– 7:35.35 min (2001) *

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

– 8:47.34 min (2000) *

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

– 12:59.79 min (2005) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

– 2:08:53 min (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maina, Leonard Mucheru 1978 births Living people People from Nyandarua County Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Kenyan male steeplechase runners Bahraini male long-distance runners Kenyan emigrants to Bahrain Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Naturalized citizens of Bahrain Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for Bahrain Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Kenyan male cross country runners

Career

Personal bests

See also

References

External links