Migration offers rich pickings for countries in Budapest showpiece

In Budapest

The 2000 Chicago Marathon champion winner, Lorna Kiplagat, is among the first crop of runners to have changed nationality from Kenyan to other countries when she acquired Dutch citizenship in 2003.

She won 2000 Chicago Marathon title as a Kenyan runner, but represented the Netherlands in women’s 10,000 metres race at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, finishing fifth in the final.

She took up Dutch nationality in 2003, the same time as Kenyan-born Stephen Cherono who went on to represent Bahrain as Saif Saaeed Shaheen, famously breaking men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase record a year later as a Bahraini.

On June 9, Ethiopian runner Lamecha Girma broke the record of seven minutes, 53.63 seconds when he ran 7:52.11 in Paris Diamond League.

Read: Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma shatters long-standing steeplechase world record

In the 2023 World Athletics Championships, many athletes changed citizenship represented their adopted countries. Others were born in countries where their parents took up citizenship. Here are the prominent examples.

Sifan Hassan

Born in Ethiopia in 1993, the Olympics 5,000m and 10,000m champion arrived in the Netherlands in 1998 as a refugee. Five years later, she won the European Under-23 Cross Country Championships title for the Netherlands.

The 2019 World Athletics Championships 1,500m and 10,000m gold medallist fell just five metres from the finish line of the 10,000m final on day of competition her. On Saturday, she claimed silver in 1,500m and 5,000m final.

Winfred Mutile Yavi

The Kenyan-born Bahraini who specialises in 3000m steeplechase became eligible to compete for her adopted country in August 2016. She finished fourth in 3000m steeplechase at the 2019 (Doha) and 2022 (Oregon) editions of the world championships. She won gold for her adopted country Bahrain in the steeplechase final on Sunday night Budapest after destroying the field in a world leading time of eight minutes and 54.29 seconds.

Paul Chelimo

Born in Kenya in 1990, he arrived in USA in 2010 on sports scholarship and later joined the US army and became an American citizen. He won silver for USA in men’s 5,000m at the 2016 Olympic Games, and is a bronze medallist from the 2020 Olympics. He finished a disappointing 15th place in 13:30.88 in the 5,000m final here on Sunday.

Lorna Chemutai Salpeter

The Kenyan-born Israeli marathoner married her Israeli running coach Dan Salpeter in 2014, and got Israeli citizenship on March 2016. The 2022 World Athletics Championships bronze medallist finished fourth in women’s marathon in Budapest on Saturday.

Maru Teferi

Born in Ethiopia in 1992, Teferi moved to Israel at the age of 14. On Sunday, he won silver for Israel in men’s marathon after clocking  2:09.12 in Budapest.

Marco Arop

Born in 1998 in Sudan, his parents fled civil war with him to Egypt, and later Canada.

He represented Canada at the 2020 Olympics, and won bronze in men’s 800m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. On Saturday, he won gold for Canada in men’s 800m race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships here.

Athing Mu

Born in 2002 in New Jersey, USA, to South Sudanese parents, she won gold in the 800m race at the 2020 Olympics. She won gold for USA in the 800m final at last year’s World in Oregon. She settled for bronze medal in the 800m final in Budapest Sunday night after Mu clocking 1:56.61 for bronze. Kenya's Mary Moraa won gold with Briton Keely Hodgkinson taking silver.