OSAKA, JAPAN – Former Lubbock Christian University cross country / track and field standout Mbarak Hussein recently competed in the men’s marathon at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Osaka, Japan.

The running conditions were brutal, marked by high temperatures, high humidity, and a bright sun.

Nonetheless, Hussein, the reigning U.S. marathon champion, finished 21^st with a time of 2:23:04.  He was the top U.S. runner and led the American team to a fourth place finish.

Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) was 23rd in 2:23:28, Kyle O'Brien (Shelby Township, Mich.) was 32nd in 2:28:28, with Fernando Cabada (Bloomington, Ind.) 50th in 2:35:48.

Simeon Sawe, who is also a Lubbock Christian alumnus and former two-time NAIA National Champion, was likewise a member of the team, but he did not start for unspecified reasons.

Luke Kibet of Kenya took the individual gold in 2:15:59, with Mubarak Hassan Shami of Qatar second in 2:17:18, and Viktor Rothlin of Switzerland third in 2:17:25.

Team finishes were determined by combined time for the top three finishers. Team USA posted a team time of 7:15:00 for fourth, behind Japan in first (6:54:23), Korea in second (7:12:08) and Kenya in third (7:12:33).

During his time at Lubbock Christian, Hussein won nine NAIA national titles while running for the Chaps after transferring to Lubbock Christian mid-way through his freshman year. He was instrumental in LCU’s first two cross country team titles and won seven individual championships in both indoor and outdoor track and field.

Following his time at LCU, Hussein has gone on to a stellar professional career. A three-time winner of the Honolulu Marathon and two-time winner of the Twin-Cities Marathon, he is the two-time defending U.S. marathon champion and holds two U.S. master’s records in the 25K and the half-marathon.

In addition, he currently also has a master’s world record pending in the 12K with the 36:06 he ran earlier this year.