Army private Joseph Chirlee is not just a soldier in the US Armed Forces. He’s a world class marathon runner. The Kenyan native and naturalized US citizen is being denied the right to compete in the US national championships because he has not been a naturalized citizen for more than two years.
Why is he being denied? Because under international rules designed to prevent athletes from jumping from country to country to compete, international competition is barred for a two year waiting period after naturalizing. But why bar Chirlee from domestic competitions? Sounds like a lawsuit is on the way.