Mushir Salim Jawher

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Mushir Salim Jawher (Arabic: مشير سالم جوهر, born Leonard Mucheru Maina on June 13, 1978 in Nyandarwa, Kenya) is a long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres.

He originally represented Kenya under his birth name Leonard Mucheru, and finished fourth in the short race at the 2000 World Cross Country Championships. He moved to Bahrain in 2003 and was granted citizenship in 2004, at the same time getting a new Arabic name. ^[1] At that time Bahrain acquired a number of runners from African countries, especially Kenya.

Before changing nationality Mushir Salim Jawher finished seventh at the 2003 World Indoor Championships and fourth at the 2003 World Athletics Final. In 2004 Jawher became Asian Indoor Champion for Bahrain in 3000 metres. This stirred some controversy as he, according to IAAF rules, was not eligible to run for his new country until March 16, 2006.^[2] At the end of the season he finished fourth at the World Athletics Final 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. Other medalists for Bahrain included Youssef Saad Kamel, Belal Mansoor Ali and Tareq Mubarak Taher, also imported from Kenya.

On 4 January 2007 Jawher won his first marathon race, the Tiberias Marathon held in Tiberias, Israel, 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.^[1] 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 Gulf state^[3].