Yusuf Saad Kamel
Yusuf Saad Kamel (Arabic: 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 World Champion Billy Konchellah – he represented Bahrain internationally. Kamel won the gold in the 1500 m and bronze in 800 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin.[1]
 Kamel at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gregory Konchellah |
| Born | 29 March 1983 Narok, Kenya |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Bahrain |
| Sport | Men's athletics |
| Event(s) | 800 metres, 1500 metres |
| Retired | 2016 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m: 1:42.79 min (2008) 1500 m: 3:31.56 min (2009) |
Medal record | |
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In early 2009 he stopped competing for Bahrain claiming unpaid salary and bonuses. He was willing to compete for Kenya, but his Kenyan passport was held by Bahraini officials. Without a passport, he was unable to compete in any competition. Several other Kenyan runners who took Bahraini citizenship have also left Bahrain and are vying to compete for Kenya.[2] However, he returned to the track in July 2009 at the Athletissima meeting, still representing Bahrain. Subsequently, Athletics Kenya stopped to handle his attempt to compete for Kenya.[3]
At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu he only participated at the 1500 m but just failed to qualify for the final.
He trained with PACE Sports Management under Ricky Simms.
Statistics
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Asian Indoor Championships | Tehran, Iran | 3rd | 800 m | 1:48.89 |
| World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 3rd (semis) | 800 m | 1:47.16 | |
| Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 3rd (heats) | 800 m | 1:46.94 | |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 1st | 800 m | 1:45.91 | |
| Pan Arab Games | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | 800 m | 1:46.12 | |
| 2005 | Arab Championships | Tunis, Tunisia | 1st | 800 m | 1:47.36 |
| World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | 800 m | 1:44.90 | |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 2nd | 800 m | 1:47.13 | |
| 2006 | World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 6th | 800 m | 1:47.62 |
| World Cup | Athens, Greece | 1st | 800 m | 1:44.98 | |
| Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 800 m | 1:45.74 | |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 9th (semis) | 800 m | 1:45.31 |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 800 m | 1:45.61 CR | |
| 2008 | Asian Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 800 m | 1:48.03 CR |
| World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 3rd | 800 m | 1:45.26 | |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 5th | 800 m | 1:44.95 | |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 3rd | 800 m | 1:49.40 | |
| 5th | 1500 m | 3:38.50 | |||
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 3rd | 800 m | 1:45.35 |
| 1st | 1500 m | 3:35.93 | |||
| World Athletics Final | Thessaloniki, Greece | 4th | 1500 m | 3:36.11 | |
| 2010 | West Asian Championships | Aleppo, Syria | 3rd | 1500 m | 3:40.58 |
| Asian Games | Guangzhou, China | 9th (heats) | 1500 m | 3:58.80 | |
| 2011 | Military World Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5th | 800 m | 1:46.89 |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 6th (semis) | 1500 m | 3:47.18 | |
| 2013 | Asian Championships | Pune, India | 6th | 800 m | 1:50.54 |
| Islamic Solidarity Games | Palembang, Indonesia | 4th | 1500 m | 1:48.27 | |
| 2014 | Asian Games | Incheon, South Korea | — | 800 m | DNF |
See also
- List of middle-distance runners
- List of eligibility transfers in athletics
- List of World Athletics Championships medalists (men)
- List of sportspeople who competed for more than one nation
- List of Asian Games medalists in athletics
- List of IAAF World Indoor Championships medalists (men)
- 800 metres at the World Championships in Athletics
- 1500 metres at the World Championships in Athletics
References
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yusuf Saad Kamel". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- The East African, June 8, 2009: Konchellah ‘back’ home
- The Standard, July 13, 2009: Konchella throws spanner in the works Archived September 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
External links
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