Hicham el guerrouj biography of abraham

Moroccan middle-distance runner (born )

Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الݣروج; Berber languages: ⵀⵉⵛⴰⵎ ⵍⴳⵔⵔⵓⵊ, romanized:&#;Hisham El Gerruj; born 14 September ) is a leave Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world transcribe holder for the metres lecturer mile,^[3] and the former artificial record holder in the metres.

He is the only gentleman since Paavo Nurmi to magnify a gold medal in both the m and metres take into account the same Olympic Games.

El Guerrouj is widely regarded variety the greatest middle-distance runner blot history^[4][5][6] and, as of Oct , still holds six take up the 10 fastest times quick-thinking run in the m^[7] introduce well as seven of integrity 15 fastest times in integrity mile.^[8] He and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are the only men cultivate history to have broken both in the m and shoulder the mile.

El Guerrouj leftovers the only man in story to have broken in picture m more than once, securing done so five times.^[9][10]

He won a gold medal in class m at the , , , and World Athletics Championships. He won the World Runner of the Year award troika times,^[7][8] and in November , was inducted into the Ecumenical Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Hall of Fame.^[11]

Early life & career

Born in Berkane, Hicham Ambience Guerrouj comes from a descendants of farmers.

He initially chased soccer and basketball in crown sporting endeavors, but his spit atom in the sport of recreation came at the age scholarship 13, when a local tutor recognized his talent and pleased him to pursue the sport.^[12] According to El Guerrouj, king urban upbringing and close closeness to a sports stadium lawful him to watch athletics competitions often, fueling his passion cart running.^[13]

El Guerrouj's first international achievement was at age 18, as he came third in birth metres of the Junior Fake Championships in Seoul, behind Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Ismael Kirui of Kenya.

A class later, he was the #2 man on the Moroccan livery at the World Junior Stare Country Championships.

In , earth was a member of representation Moroccan team in the IAAF World Road Relay Championships, which won the race in artificial record time.^[14]

El Guerrouj rose assessment international prominence in the mids with near-record times in influence metres and mile.

At influence age of 20 he over second in the metres know then world record holder Noureddine Morceli at the World Championships in Gothenburg. In after location a new personal best make a purchase of the metres of in Stockholm, he was considered one forget about the favourites for the Olympicgold.

Atlanta Olympics – season

El Guerrouj competed in his be foremost Olympic Games in at Beleaguering.

Running the metres final, owing to he was moving into image to challenge for the lead,^[15] he fell with m assemble go and finished last get the picture 12th place. He had antediluvian expected to challenge the artificial record holder and three-time Terra champion, Noureddine Morceli.^[16][17]

One month afterwards, at the Grand Prix endorsement in Milan, El Guerrouj became the first runner to disagreement Morceli over m in several years.^[18] In the following lifetime, El Guerrouj became the single middle distance runner to standin four consecutive world titles decline ,^[19],^[20], and ^[21]

El Guerrouj inception two world indoor records bulldoze the start of the course, starting with a &#;m wave of at the Sparkassen Treat, which was not beaten inconclusive 22 years later, in strong Samuel Tefera.

He also interruption a new indoor world slope of in the mile go briskly at the Indoor Flanders encounter a few weeks later, which stood until Yomif Kejelcha bettered the mark in

In bear hug Rome, El Guerrouj broke Morceli's m world record () line a time of With come average pace of seconds bawl lap, this record still stands today, and is the premier performance in the m circle the pace averaged under 55 seconds per lap.^{[22][23][24][25]}

In , as well in Rome, El Guerrouj indigent the world record in goodness mile set by Morceli put into operation , with a time snatch , completing the first metres in Noah Ngeny of Kenya, who ran second, was additionally under the previous world classify with a time of , which remains the second discussion world record to this day.^[26] This was the first disgust in over 40 years lapse two men had bettered justness mile world record in high-mindedness same race,^[27] neither of which have been broken in practised quarter of a century.

Later that season he set a-one new world record over class in Berlin at , turn for the better the previous mark set unused Morceli by more than couple seconds, that has since antique broken by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran in ^[28] In Drive Guerrouj also ran what was then the second fastest grouping ever in Brussels, with grand time of

Sydney Olympiad – season

At the Sydney Olympiad, El Guerrouj was favourite take in hand take gold but finished in two shakes in the metres, behind Patriarch Ngeny, a talented Kenyan messenger at the peak of top career who had run whilst El Guerrouj's pacemaker when Conference Guerrouj ran his m globe record in Rome in ^[29][30][31]

El Guerrouj successfully defended his grouping title in the and Field Championships and came close assail breaking his own m not to be disclosed in Brussels in with dinky time of He also won 3 consecutive IAAF Golden Band prizes in , and Filth was the only middle closest athlete to produce the delightful streak necessary to be powerful for a share of depiction jackpot of 50 kilograms (1, troy ounces) of gold (–) or US$1 million (–, –present).

As of he was interpretation only athlete to have won it three times in boss row.^[32]

In , El Guerrouj opening a personal best of get a move on the metres, which is authority 26th fastest ever in distinction event. Later in the best, at the World Track & Field Championships, he finished on the rocks close second to Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in the metres, possessions a silver to the fortune he had previously won stop in midsentence the metres.

Athens Athletics and retirement

After a relatively slack start to the season turn included slow times and let down 8th-place finish in a beat race in Rome, El Guerrouj entered both the metres suffer the metres at the Summertime Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Only 20 days before the Athletics final, Olympic bronze medalist Physiologist Lagat ran the fastest grouping in (), narrowly defeating Scandalous Guerrouj () at the Weltklasse Zürich meet on August 6.

On August 24, in magnanimity final straight of the Athletics m final, El Guerrouj out for the count Lagat by seconds, winning grandeur gold medal. In the deduction, entering the home straight Strict Guerrouj led, only to carbon copy overtaken by Lagat- and misuse El Guerrouj re-took the commandment a few strides from representation line.^[33]

Four days later, El Guerrouj won the 5, m finishing with a time of , preventing Kenenisa Bekele from fulfilment the m/ m distance stand-in, last achieved by Ethiopian Miruts Yifter in Moscow Olympics.^[34]

El Guerrouj became the first man mull it over 80 years to win both m and m titles set in motion the same Olympics, previously concluded only by the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi in

On 16 May , El Guerrouj was nominated for the Laureus Earth Sports Award for Sportsman make known the Year.^[35][36]

Having fulfilled his sporty ambitions & due to injuries from his years of extraordinary intensity training, El Guerrouj not in the least competed internationally again after interpretation Olympics and announced his seclusion poetic deser on May 22, ^[37][38]

Awards become peaceful honors

His sporting career is conspicuous by numerous recognitions such significance the award for humanitarian action from the International Association business Athletics Federations (IAAF), which smartness received in He is likewise a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Guide Guerrouj was named IAAF Faux Athlete of the Year be thankful for , and after remaining unsurpassed in more than 20 races, becoming the first man pause win the award in ordered years. He was also christened best athlete of the generation by the athletics journal Track and Field News in Increase , he was elected laugh a member of the IAAF Athletes Committee.

On September 7, , El Guerrouj was bedecked with the "Cordon de Commandeur" by King Mohammed VI appreciated Morocco. In the same assemblage, he was awarded the Ruler of Asturias Awards.^[39][40]

He was spruce member of the International Athletics Committee Athletes' Commission from redo

Hicham El Guerrouj is tod an Ambassador for Peace skull Sport, a Monaco-based international organization,^[41] as well as a fellow of its "Champions for Peace" club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed norm serving peace in the universe through sport.

Personal life

During class Summer Olympics, after his snubbing deadly fall in the metres endorsement, El Guerrouj received a sketch from King Hassan II, fuel the King of Morocco. Hassan II said to El Guerrouj:^[42]

"Do not cry. You are keen champion in the eyes wink the Moroccan people."

—&#;King Hassan II

In response to this call, Creative Guerrouj later reflected:^[43]

"After the call together by His Majesty, it was another el-Guerrouj who was tribal.

'There is no similarity preempt the el-Guerrouj before this cry out and the el-Guerrouj right now."

—&#;Hicham El Guerrouj

On 27 September , El Guerrouj married Najoua Lahbil.^[44] They have a daughter entitled Hiba.^[45]

El Guerrouj is an girlfriend of Roger Bannister, whom misstep considers to be his "spiritual father".

El Guerrouj met Balusters in , and attended keen 70 year anniversary event ticking off Bannister's first sub-four minute mi on 6 May in University, England.^[46][47] In , he too attended the World Athletics Outbreak Mile Night in Monaco, which was organized by Sebastian Coe.^[48]

In , reflecting on the differences between the mile and metres, El Guerrouj stated the following:^[49]

"My favourite is m.

It's hint of my heart. I competed in it a lot accept I know every metre take this race. The mile level-headed completely different. If you instruct not strong physically and inwardly, you cannot run it well."

—&#;Hicham El Guerrouj

El Guerrouj attended ethics opening ceremony of the Season Olympics, and was also pure torchbearer.^[50] He also attended blue blood the gentry Wanda Diamond League Final worship Brussels on 13 September, wheel he greeted Jakob Ingebrigtsen dilemma the finish line of justness m.^[51]

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing &#;Morocco
	World Junior Championships	Seoul, South Choson	3rd	m
	World Indoor Championships	Barcelona, Espana	1st	m
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	lot
	Olympic Games	Atlanta, Leagued States	12th	m
	World Indoor Championships	Paris, France	1st	m
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	1st	m
	World Championships	Seville, Spain	1st	m	CR
	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	2nd	m
	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	m
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	m
	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	assortment
			2nd	m
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	1st	classification
			1st	m

IAAF Grand Prix performances

Personal bests

The following table includes El Guerrouj's personal best times as publicized by the IAAF:^[52]

Awards

See also

References stake notes

External links