Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الݣروج, Hishāmu l-Karrūj; Berber: Hisham El Gerruj, ⵀⵉⵛⴰⵎ ⴻⵍ ⴳⴻⵔⵔⵓⵊ; born 14 September 1974) is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder of the outdoor 1500 metres, mile, and 2000 metres events. He also held indoor world records for the mile and 1500 metres until 2019, and is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to earn a gold medal in both the 1500 metres and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games. El Guerrouj holds 7 of the fastest 10 times ever run in the 1500 metres and in the mile.[5][6] He is considered by many to be the greatest middle-distance runner of all time.[7][8]

Hichame El Guerrouj

El Guerrouj in 2010
Personal information
Nationality	Moroccan
Born	(1974-09-14) 14 September 1974[1] Berkane, Morocco[2]
Height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Weight	58 kg (128 lb)[3]
Sport
Sport	Track
Event(s)	1500 metres, mile, 2000 metres, 5000 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1500 m: 3:26.00 (WR)[4] Mile: 3:43.13 (WR)[4] Indoor 1500 m: 3:31.18 [4] Indoor Mile : 3:48.45 [4] 2000 m: 4:44.79 (WR)[4] 3000 m: 7:23.09[4] 5000 m: 12:50.24[4]
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Morocco Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 0 World Championships 4 2 0 World Indoor Championships 3 0 0 Total 9 3 0 Olympic Games 2004 Athens 1500 m 2004 Athens 5000 m 2000 Sydney 1500 m World Championships 1997 Athens 1500 m 1999 Sevilla 1500 m 2001 Edmonton 1500 m 2003 Paris 1500 m 1995 Gothenburg 1500 m 2003 Paris 5000 m World Indoor Championships 1995 Barcelona 1500 m 1997 Paris 1500 m 2001 Lisbon 3000 m

In November 2014, he was inducted into the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Hall of Fame.[9]

Early career

Born in Berkane, Hicham El Guerrouj's first international triumph was at age 18, when he was third in the 5000 metres of the 1992 Junior World Championships in Seoul, behind Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Ismael Kirui of Kenya. A year later, he was the #2 man on the Moroccan team at the World Junior Cross Country Championships.

In 1994, he was a member of the Moroccan team in the 1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships, which won the race in world record time.[10]

El Guerrouj rose to international prominence in the mid-1990s with near-record times in the 1500 metres and mile. At the age of 20 he finished second in the 1500 metres to then world record holder Noureddine Morceli at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. In 1996 after setting a new personal best in the 1500 metres of 3:29.59 in Stockholm, he was considered one of the favourites for the Olympic gold.

1996 Atlanta Olympics – 1999 season

El Guerrouj competed in his first Olympic Games in 1996 at Atlanta. Running the 1500 metres final, as he was moving into position to challenge for the lead,[11] he fell with 400 m to go and finished last in 12th place. He had been expected to challenge the world record holder and three-time World champion, Noureddine Morceli.[12][13]

One month later, at the Grand Prix final in Milan, El Guerrouj became the first runner to defeat Morceli over 1500 m in four years.[14] In the following years, El Guerrouj became the only middle distance runner to win four consecutive world titles in 1997,[15] 1999,[16] 2001, and 2003.[17]

El Guerrouj set two world indoor records at the start of the 1997 season, starting with a 1500 m record of 3:31.18 at the Sparkassen Cup, which was not beaten until 22 years later, in 2019 by Samuel Tefera. He also set a new indoor best of 3:48.45 in the mile run at the Indoor Flanders meeting a few weeks later. In 1998 in Rome, El Guerrouj broke Morceli's 1500 m world record (3:27.37) with a time of 3:26.00.[18][19][20]

In 1999, also in Rome, El Guerrouj broke the world record in the mile set by Noureddine Morceli in 1993, with a time of 3:43.13. Noah Ngeny of Kenya, who ran second, was also under the previous world record with a time of 3:43.40. This was the first time in over 40 years that two men had bettered the mile world record in the same race.[21]

Later that season he set a new world record over 2000 m in Berlin at 4:44.79, bettering the previous mark set by Morceli by more than three seconds. He also ran the second fastest 3000 m ever in Brussels.

2000 Sydney Olympics – 2003 season

At the Sydney Olympics, El Guerrouj was favourite to take gold but finished second in the 1500 metres, behind Noah Ngeny, a talented Kenyan runner at the peak of his career who had run as El Guerrouj's pacemaker when El Guerrouj ran his 1500m world record in Rome in 1998.[22][23][24]

El Guerrouj successfully defended his 1500 m title in the 2001 and 2003 World Championships and came close to breaking his own 1500 m record in Brussels in 2001 with a time of 3:26.12. He also won 3 consecutive IAAF Golden League prizes in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was the only middle distance athlete to produce the winning streak necessary to be entitled for a share of the jackpot of 50 kilograms (1,608 troy ounces) of gold (2000–2002) or US$1 million (1998–1999, 2003–present). He remains the only athlete to have won it three times in a row.

In 2003, El Guerrouj set a personal best of 12:50.24 in the 5000 metres, which is the 16th fastest ever in the event. Later in the year, at the World Track & Field Championships, he finished a close second to Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in the 5000 metres, adding a silver to the gold he had previously won in the 1500 metres.

2004 Athens Olympics and retirement

El Guerrouj and Carlos García at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens

After a relatively poor start to the 2004 season that included slow times and an 8th-place finish in a 1500-metre race in Rome, El Guerrouj entered both the 1500 metres and the 5000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Only 20 days before the Olympic final, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Bernard Lagat ran the fastest 1500 m in 2004 (3:27.40), narrowly defeating El Guerrouj (3:27.64) at the Weltklasse Zürich meet on August 6. On August 24, in the final straight of the Olympic 1500m final, El Guerrouj beat Lagat by 0.12 seconds, winning the gold medal. In the finale, entering the home straight El Guerrouj led, only to be overtaken by Lagat- and then El Guerrouj re-took the lead a few strides from the line.[25]

Four days later, El Guerrouj won the 5,000 m final with a time of 13:14.39, preventing Kenenisa Bekele from achieving the 5000 m/10000 m distance double, last achieved by Ethiopian Miruts Yifter in 1980 Moscow Olympics.[26]

El Guerrouj became the first man in 80 years to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in the same Olympics, previously achieved only by the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi in 1924.

Having fulfilled his sporting ambitions, El Guerrouj never competed internationally again and announced his retirement on May 22, 2006.[27][28]

Awards and honors

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 IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003 after remaining unbeaten in more than 20 races, becoming the first man to win the award in consecutive years. He was also named best athlete of the year by the athletics journal Track and Field News in 2002. In 2003, he was elected as a member of the IAAF Athletes Committee.

On September 7, 2004, 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.[29]

He was a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission from 2004 to 2012.

Hicham El Guerrouj is today an Ambassador for Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization,[30] as well as a member of its "Champions for Peace" club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport.

Personal bests

The following table includes El Guerrouj's personal best times as published by the IAAF:[4]

Distance	Mark	Date	Location
800 metres	1:47.18	2 June 1995	Torino
1000 metres	2:16.85	12 July 1995	Nice
1500 metres WR	3:26.00	14 July 1998	Rome
Indoor 1500 metres	3:31.18	2 February 1997	Stuttgart
Mile WR	3:43.13	7 July 1999	Rome
Indoor mile	3:48.45	12 February 1997	Ghent
2000 metres WR	4:44.79	7 September 1997	Berlin
3000 metres	7:23.09	3 September 1999	Brussels
Indoor 3000 metres	7:33.73	23 February 2003	Liévin
Indoor 2 miles	8:06.61	23 February 2003	Liévin
5000 metres	12:50.24	12 March 2003	Ostrava
10K	36:00 not verified	6 January 2008	Nice
Ekiden	1:57:56	17 April 1994	Litochoro

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Morocco
1992	World Junior Championships	Seoul, South Korea	3rd	5000 m	13:46.79
1995	World Indoor Championships	Barcelona, Spain	1st	1500 m	3:44.54
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	1500 m	3:35.28
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	12th	1500 m	3:40.75
1997	World Indoor Championships	Paris, France	1st	1500 m	3:35.31
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	1st	1500 m	3:35.83
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	1st	1500 m	3:27.65 CR
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	2nd	1500 m	3:32.32
2001	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	3000 m	7:37.74
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	1500 m	3:30.68
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	1500 m	3:31.77
			2nd	5000 m	12:52.83
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	1st	1500 m	3:34.18
			1st	5000 m	13:14.39

IAAF Grand Prix performances

• 1997
  • Stuttgart: 3:31.18 WR indoor 1500 m
  • Gand: 3:48.45 indoor mile
• 1998
  • Golden Gala: 3:26.00 WR 1500 m
• 1999
  • Golden Gala: 3:43.13 WR mile
  • 1999 IAAF Grand Prix Final: 4:44.79 WR 2000 metres

Other world records

Mile

Competition	Ranking	Timing	Place	Date	Title
Grand Prix	1	3:43.13	Rome	July 7, 1999	World record holder
Grand Prix	1	3:48.45	Gand	February 12, 1997	Indoor World record holder

2000 metres

Competition	Ranking	Timing	Place	Date	Title
Grand Prix Final	1	4:44.79	Berlin	September 7, 1999	World record holder

See also

• 1500 metres world record progression
• Mile run world record progression

References and notes

1. "Hicham El Guerrouj". iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
2. "Hicham El Guerrouj". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
3. "Hicham El Guerrouj". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
4. "Hicham EL GUERROUJ - Athlete Profile". IAAF.
5. "All-time men's best 1500 m". IAAF. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
6. "All-time best senior outdoor one mile men". IAAF.
7. "IAAF: El Guerrouj: the greatest of all time". iaaf.org.
8. "El Guerrouj confirms his retirement". The Irish Times.
9. "IAAF: Twelve athletics legends inducted into IAAF Hall of Fame". iaaf.org.
10. "untitled". www.arrs.run.
11. "Atlanta Olympics 1996 - Men's 1500m". 14 November 2006 – via YouTube.
12. 1996 Atlanta Olympics sporting-heroes.net: El Guerrouj fell to the ground
13. 1996 Atlanta Olympics YouTube video: Atlanta Olympics 1996 - Men's 1500m final
14. "Marco Veledíaz - Training of the Maroccan World Class Athletes". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
15. YouTube video 1500m final - 1997 World Championships
16. YouTube video 1500m final - 1999 World Championships
17. YouTube video 1500m final - 2003 World Championships
18. YouTube video: Hicham El Guerrouj sets a new world record at 1500m in 1998
19. "IAAF: 60 Metres". iaaf.org.
20. World Record progression of men 1500m Archived 2013-07-30 at the Wayback Machine
21. YouTube video: Hicham El Guerrouj sets a world record in the mile in 1999
22. 2000 Sydney Olympics YouTube video: Men's 1500m
23. El Guerrouj, a picture of despair, The Guardian, 30 Sep 2000
24. Noah Ngeny - Kenya - Olympic gold at 1500 metres, sporting-heroes.net
25. 2004 Athens Olympics YouTube video: Men's 1500m final
26. 2004 Athens Olympics YouTube video: Men's 5000m final
27. El Guerrouj retires from track - cbc.ca
28. King of Middle Distance, Hicham El Guerrouj retires - IAAF
29. Thousands of asturian children of all ages to join Hicham El Guerrouj in a race for peace Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine - fundacionprincipedeasturias.org
30. "Peace and Sport". www.peace-sport.org.

External links

• Video of Hicham El Guerrouj breaking the mile world record
• Hicham El Guerrouj at World Athletics
• El Guerrouj diary at IAAF

Records
Preceded by Noureddine Morceli	Men's 1500 m World Record Holder July 14, 1998 –	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Noureddine Morceli	Men's Mile World Record Holder July 7, 1999 –	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Haile Gebrselassie Virgilijus Alekna	Men's Track & Field News Athlete of the Year 1999 2001, 2002	Succeeded by Virgilijus Alekna Félix Sánchez
Preceded by Jan Železný	IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2001 – 2003	Succeeded by Kenenisa Bekele
Preceded by Michael Schumacher	L'Équipe Champion of Champions 2004	Succeeded by Roger Federer
Sporting positions
Preceded by Haile Gebrselassie Benjamin Limo	Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance 1999 2003	Succeeded by Ali Saïdi-Sief Eliud Kipchoge