El Guerrouj Gives Morocco 2nd Gold Medal at Edmonton Championships
Morocco, Sports, 8/13/2001

Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj, who already holds two world titles in the 1,500 m race in 1997 and 1999, won on Sunday his third title in a row at Edmonton's world championship and gave Morocco a 2nd gold medal.

After this harvest, Hicham, holder of five world records, will be shifting to the 5,000m with an eye on Ethiopian Haile Gebreselassie's record of 12:39'36."

Besides succeeding in erasing his defeat at the Olympic games in Sydney where he only took the Silver medal, Hicham's victory has the merit of keeping the 1,500 m title in the hands of an Arab athlete, for the 7th consecutive time.

El Guerrouj, who is the only athlete in the world with five world records (outdoors 1,500 m, mile and 2,000 m and indoors 1,500 m and mile), is scheduled to run on August 24 and 31 in the Brussels and Berlin meets but says he has not yet made a decision on the IAAF grand prize slated for September 9 in Melbourne. He could also be on the line-up in Tunis' Mediterranean games.

His most cherished dream? Become in 2004 in Athens an Olympic champ, a title still missing on his medal chart.

Nezha Bidouane of Morocco also became the world champion of the 400m hurdles race when she run the distance in 53'34," making the world best performance of the year. Ali Ezzine took a silver medal at 3.000m steeple-chase.

With the three medals (two gold and one silver), Morocco holds the 8th rank at Edmonton's chart. Compared to the Sevilla edition where Morocco ranked fifth, it is a modest performance that is ascribed to the absence of other athletes who could have boosted the ranking.

Previous Stories:
  Africa's basketball championship: Morocco wins over Mali, but no change in ranking   (8/9/2001)
  Moroccan gets silver medal at 3,000m steeple chase at Edmonton   (8/9/2001)
  Edmonton world championships: Morocco's Bidouane wins gold at 400m hurdles race   (8/9/2001)

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