Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الكروج) (born September 14, 1974, Berkane, Morocco) is a retired Moroccan middle distance runner. He is the world record holder for the 1,500 metres (3:26.00), the mile (3:43.13) and 2,000 metres (4:44.79), and has been nicknamed "King of the Mile".[1]
Hicham El Guerrouj | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1974 |
| Other names | King of the Mile |
His sporting career is marked by numerous recognitions such as the award to humanitarian effort from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which he received in 1996. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. El Guerrouj was named best athlete of the year by the IAAF in 2001 and 2002 after remaining unbeaten in more than 20 races and thus becoming the first man to win athlete of the year titles in consecutive years. Also, in 2002, he was chosen, together with the British athlete Paula Radcliffe, best athlete of the year by the prestigious athletics journal Track and Field News. In 2003, he was also top of the world athletics list and was elected as a member of the IAAF Athletes Committee.
On September 7, 2004, Hicham El Guerrouj was decorated with the "Cordon de Commandeur" by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. In the same year, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Awards. [2]
He is a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes's Commission.
History
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s athletics | ||
 |
2000 Sydney | 1500 m |
 |
2004 Athens | 1500 m |
| |
2004 Athens | 5000 m |
| World Championships | ||
| |
1995 Gothenbourg | 1500 m |
| |
1997 Athens | 1500 m |
| |
1999 Sevilla | 1500 m |
| |
2001 Edmonton | 1500 m |
| |
2003 Paris | 1500 m |
| |
2003 Paris | 5000 m |
Hicham El Guerrouj's first international triumph arrived in 1992, when he was third in the 5000 metres junior World Championships in Seoul. He rose to international prominence in the mid-1990s with near-record times in the 1500 meters and mile. At the age of only 20 he finished second over 1500 m at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg. In 1996, after setting a new personal best over 1500 m in 3:29.51 in Stockholm, he was considered one of the favourites for Olympic gold. However, at the 1996 Summer Olympics he collided with Algeria's Noureddine Morceli, who went on to win the gold medal. At the end of that season, El Guerrouj was the first runner to defeat Morceli over 1500 m for four years when the two met at a meet in Milan.
In the following years, El Guerrouj became the only middle distance runner to win four consecutive world titles in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003.
At a meet in Rome in 1998, El Guerrouj broke Morceli's 1500 m world record (3:27.37) and set a new one at 3:26.00. El Guerrouj broke the world record in the mile set by Noureddine Morceli in Rome on July 7, 1999, recording a remarkable 3:43.13 and just edging out Noah Ngeny of Kenya who recorded 3:43.40. Later in that season he set a new world record over 2000 m in Berlin at 4:44.79. He also ran the second fastest 3000 m ever when clocking 7:23.09 in Brussels in 1999. El Guerrouj came close to breaking his own 1500 m record in Brussels in 2001 with a time of 3:26.12. His personal best over 5000 m stands at 12:50.24 (Ostrava 2003).
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, he finished second in the 1500 meters. He won the gold medal in both the 1500 meters and 5000 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, running a stunning 1:46 last 800 meters in the 1500 meters to outkick Bernard Lagat of Kenya. In the 5,000 m, El Guerrouj waited behind Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele until the home straightaway where he sprinted away for a 13:14 win. He became then the first man in 80 years to win both races in the same Olympics, after the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi in 1924.
Hicham El Guerrouj also won 3 consecutive IAAF Golden League prizes in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was the only middle distance athlete to achieve the win streak necessary to be entitled for a share of the jackpot of 50 kilograms (1,608 troy ounces) of gold (2000-2002) or USD 1 million (1998-1999, 2003-present). Indeed, he is the only athlete to have won it three times in a row.
Winning the Olympics double
For the past decade, Hicham El Guerrouj had been seeking an Olympic gold medal. He collided with Algeria's Nourredine Morceli, who went to win the gold medal, at the last lap in Atlanta's 1500 m final before finishing 12th. Between Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, he lost only one race before he was outsprinted by Noah Ngeny of Kenya.
El Guerrouj's last chance for an Olympic gold came in Athens 2004. He ended eight years of agony as he won the elusive Olympic men's 1,500 and 5,000 metres gold medals. The 1500 race was especially remarkable in that El Guerrouj was caught and passed in the final straightaway, something that runners almost never recover from, but he was able to summon up an extra reserve and re-pass for the victory.
After winning the 1,500 metres medal, he said:
- "Its amazing to think that in Sydney I was crying tears of sadness and here I am crying tears of joy. I'm like a five year-old with a toy."
- "I felt Lagat coming again and again. At one point I thought this was Sydney all over again. He kept coming back at me like an avalanche but when Lagat closed on me for the last time I just found that extra energy."
After winning the 5,000 metres medal, making history as Paavo Nurmi of Finland had done in 1924, he said:
- "Paavo Nurmi is a great legend. He is one of the athletes who marked history. He left his name at his point in time. Now, I’m able to put my name with his. He is from another time, a time when my grandfather was watching him. To stand alongside him now, how can I express it? There are no words."
- "Maybe I will defend my title at the World championships next year. This year my objective was to win both races at the Olympics in Athens, which is the birthplace of the sport and my ‘birthplace’ as an athlete. Next year I will move onto the next stage and try to break the 5000 m world record. Who knows? Maybe I will be there in 2008 after all, racing against Bekele again at the marathon."
Personal bests
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | 1:42.70 | UNKNOWN | [TRAINING] |
| 1,000 m | 2:16.85 | 1999-07-12 | Nice |
| 1,500 | 3:26.00 | 1998-07-14 | Rome |
| Mile | 3:43.13 | 1999-07-07 | Rome |
| 2,000 m | 4:44.79 | 1999-09-07 | Berlin |
| 3,000 m | 7:23.09 | 1999-09-03 | Brussels |
| 5,000 m | 12:50.24 | 2003-03-12 | Ostrava |
Titles
Note: All dates in DD.MM.YYYY format
1500 m
| Competition | Ranking | Timing | Place | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | 3:34.18 | Athens | 24.08.2004 | Gold medalist |
| World Championship | 1 | 3:31.77 | Paris | 27.07.2003 | World Champion |
| World Championship | 1 | 3:30.68 | Edmonton | 05.08.2001 | World Champion |
| Olympic Games | 2 | 3:32.32 | Sydney | 29.09.2000 | Silver medalist |
| World Championship | 1 | 3:27.65 | Seville | 24.08.1999 | World Champion |
| Grand Prix | 1 | 3:26.00 | Rome | 14.07.1998 | World recordman |
| World Championship | 1 | 3:35.83 | Athens | 06.08.1997 | World Champion |
| World Championship Indoor | 1 | 3:35.31 | Paris | 08.03.1997 | World Champion |
| Grand Prix | 1 | 3:31.18 | Stuttgart | 02.02.1997 | World recordman |
| World Championship | 2 | 3:35.28 | Gothenburg | 13.08.1995 | Silver medalist |
| World Championship Indoor | 1 | 3:44.54 | Barcelona | 11.03.1995 | World champion |
Mile
| Competition | Ranking | Timing | Place | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix | 1 | 3:43.13 | Rome | 07.07.1999 | World recordman |
| Grand Prix | 1 | 3:48.45 | Gand | 12.02.1997 | World recordman |
2000 m
| Competition | Ranking | Timing | Place | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Final | 1 | 4:44.79 | Berlin | 07.09.1999 | World recordman |
3000 m
| Competition | Ranking | Timing | Place | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship Indoor | 1 | 7:37.74 | Lisbon | 11.03.2001 | World Champion |
5000 m
| Competition | Ranking | Timing | Place | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | 13:14.39 | Athens | 28.08.2004 | Gold medalist |
| World Championship | 2 | 12:52.83 | Paris | 31.08.2003 | Silver medalist |
See also
External links
References and notes
- ^ The King of the Mile - Cornell University Library
- ^ Thousands of asturian children of all ages to join Hicham El Guerrouj in a race for peace - fundacionprincipedeasturias.org
- ^ El Guerrouj retires from track - cbs.ca