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Morocco won its first Olympic medal after its independence at the 1962 Games thanks to Abdeslam Radi who got a bronze medal. However, the real change took place in the 1980s with the emergence of a new generation of athletes and high-level technicians.Among these athletes, it is worth mentioning Saïd Aouita, the winner of the first Moroccan golden medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.Nawal Moutawakil is the first Arab African and Muslim woman to stand on the podium at the same games. Brahim Boutayeb is the 10000 metres champion at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Khalid Sekkah is the Cross-country world champion for many times… |
Saïd Aouita was a very ambitious athlete. By the end of the 1980s, he began beating the world records one after the other from 1500 until 5000 metre distances.
The retirement of the aforementioned athletes was not felt since the continuity was already assured and the national athletics did not suffer from the gap left by Saïd Aouita and company. Young athletes like Hicham El Guerrouj, Nezha Bidouane, Brahim Boulami and Hasna Benhassi were able to take up the torch of the Moroccan athletics since the beginning of 1990s.
Hicham El Gerrouj, following the path of Saïd Aouita, beat all the middle-distance records including 1500, 3000 metres and the mile. But his best performance remains his double title in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when he won the golden medal in the 1500 and 5000 metres.
Nezha Bidouane, ex-world champion of the 400 metre hurdles, is the only athlete who was able to compete with the Americans and Europeans for a long time.
Brahim Boulami, a record winner of 3000 metres steeplechase twice, is an athlete who has the physical and technical means to defeat Ethiopians and Kenyans in their favourite distance.
Hasna Benhassi is the future star although she has not won a lot of prizes. A specialist of 800 and 1500 metres, she got a golden medal in several world indoor championships and a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She is also winner of several international meetings.