Track and Field sports have brought the African continent a great deal of glory over the years.
But the natural talent of many African athletes has a downside, with many African countries having to cope with the ugly reality of losing prized athletes to other countries.
In a typical case of seeking for pastures that are greener than what their traditional home countries offer, some of her athletes have since moved on to better homes, as it is, completely branching out to become stars not of Africa, but of their adopted countries.
We take a look at some African athletes who competed/were in a very good position to compete for their African countries of birth, but decided otherwise.
Bernard Lagat – Formerly Kenya, now U.S.A
Once a Kenyan pride, Lagat became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America in 2004, a move he said was a dream come true.
Prior to switching, Lagat, a middle and long distance runner had had an amazing career for Kenya representing the East African country at several competitions including the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and Athens, Greece respectively.
He is a multiple awards holder at World Championships and the Olympics. He holds records in 1500m (indoor and outdoor), as well as in 3000m and 5000m outdoors.
In 2007, at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships held in Osaka, Japan, he became the first athlete to win both the 1500m and 5000m at the same event.
Ignatius Gaisah – Formerly Ghana, now The Netherlands
Until recently one of Ghana’s most celebrated athletes, Gaisah dumped his country of birth in July this year, and headed for The Netherlands.
He won Long Jump Silver for his new country at the just ended World Championships in Moscow, Russia.
Like Lagat, he also had a good streak of performances during his days of jumping for his home country Ghana. The 33-year-old is seen as one of the best in his event in the world.
His decision to ditch Ghana for The Netherlands came after years of complaints about his welfare, and how issues concerning country’s professional athletes were handled.
Colleen De Reuck – Formerly South Africa, now U.S.A
A long distance runner who rose to international prominence after competing for South Africa at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she made her first appearance for the U.S at the 2002 Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland.
She placed a respectable thirteenth at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a feat recorded in a year that also saw her win the Berlin Marathon, Honolulu Maratahon, and the Eurocross meeting in Luxembourg.
She’s represented the U.S at several other competitions.
Wilson Kipketer – Formerly Kenya, now Denmark
A living legend that continues to be an inspiration to many young Kenyan athletes, Kipketer goes down in history as one of the reasons why track and field is such an attractive sport.
Successful, and still winning off the field eight years after his retirement, he holds the indoor world records for 1000 and 800 metres.
For years, he dominated the sport, setting records that were difficult to break.
His 800 metres indoor record for instance stood for more than 13 years, only to be smashed by David Rudisha in 2010.
Mustafa Hassan Mohamed – Somalia, now Sweden
Born Somali, Mohammed moved to Sweden at age 11, and subsequently saw his dream of competing for the Scandinavian country come true.
He made an appearance at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, as well as the 2006 European Cross Country Championships. This was before his participation at the World Junior Championships in 1998.
A top ten finalist at last year’s Hamburg Marathon, he also won Gold at the 2006 Nordic Cross Country Championships.
He’s won several other local and international competitions for Sweden.
Belal Mansoor Ali (also known as John Yego) – Formerly Kenya, now Bahrain
A 25-year-old middle distance runner, Ali gained international attention in 2005 when he managed to finish seventh at the 2005 World Championships.
The win came under strict scrutiny, as he and two other Kenyan-turned Bahraini athletes were suspected of age cheating; he was subsequently arrested in Kenya in 2006.
The young athlete was however cleared of the charges, and walked away freely.
He competed in the 800 and 1500 metres for Bahrain at the 2008, 2012 Olympics in Beijing and London respectively.
Other athletes who also switched:
Glory Alozie – From Nigeria to Spain
Augustine Nketia – From Ghana to New Zealand
Youcef Abdi – From Algeria to Australia
Sultan Haydar – From Ethiopia to Turkey
Nelson Evora – From Cape Verde to Portugal
Jaysuma Saidy Ndure – From Gambia to Norway
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