IAAF honors Morocco's Said Aouita

The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) held Thursday a ceremony to pay tribute to the Moroccan athletics star of the eighties Said Aouita.

The ceremony, held on the eve of the Rome Golden Gala, first phase of the athletics golden league, was chaired by IAAF interim President Lamine Diack of Senegal.

Said Aouita was the first athlete ever in history to run the 5000 m race in less than 13 mn, when he covered the distance in Rome in July 1987 in a timing of 12:58.39.

Winner of the Jess Owens trophy, the most prestigious world athletics distinction, Aouita is so far the only athlete in the world having won the IAAF Grand Prix three times, in 1986, 1988 and 1989. He is also holder of 44 successive victories in races from 800 m to 5000 in less than 26 months.

He held five world records in 1,500 m, 5,000m, 2,000m, 3000 and 2 miles.

Aouita told MAP the tribute ceremony in his honor is a tribute to Morocco and to all Moroccan athletes.

Aouita and another Moroccan star athlete of the eighties, Nawal Moutawakkil (first Arab woman to hold an Olympic Gold medla in the Los Angles games of 1984), will be celebrated on July 7 by the Qatar-based Al-Jazira satellite TV channel.

Aouita and Al-Moutawakkil were recently polled by the popular channel as the Arab athletes of the year.