Gaza runner faces hurdles on the long road to Beijing

Every morning at dawn Nadir al-Masri runs circles around a trackless field at an empty stadium in the occupied West Bank, his coach clocking distances and timing him on a stopwatch.

The lack of a proper track is just one of many obstacles the 28-year-old long distance runner has encountered on his journey from the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip to the Beijing Summer Olympics.

"I came to Jericho because I cannot train in Gaza with the political circumstances there. I faced huge problems in coming here," he said one morning after a long workout.

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