Hicham El Guerrouj facts for kids
El Guerrouj in 2010
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 14 September 1974 Berkane, Morocco |
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| Height | 176 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Morocco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500 metres, mile, 2000 metres, 5000 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 1995 Göteborg 1500 m  Silver
5000 m Silver |
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| Olympic finals | 1996 Atlanta 1500 m, 12th 2000 Sydney 1500 m Silver
5000 m  Gold |
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| Personal best(s) |
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Medal record
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Hicham El Guerrouj (born September 14, 1974) is a famous retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. He is known as one of the greatest middle-distance runners ever. El Guerrouj still holds the world records for the 1500 metres and the mile races. He also used to hold the world record for the 2000 metres.
He is the only male athlete since Paavo Nurmi (in 1924) to win gold medals in both the 1500 m and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games. As of October 2024, he still has six of the ten fastest times ever run in the 1500 m. He also holds seven of the fifteen fastest times in the mile. El Guerrouj is the only man to have run the 1500 m in under 3 minutes and 27 seconds more than once. He achieved this amazing feat five times!
He won four gold medals in the 1500 m at the World Athletics Championships in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003. He was named World Athlete of the Year three times. In November 2014, he joined the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Athletic Start
Hicham El Guerrouj was born in Berkane, Morocco, into a family of farmers. When he was younger, he enjoyed playing soccer and basketball. However, his passion for running began at age 13. A local coach saw his talent and encouraged him to focus on athletics. El Guerrouj said that living near a sports stadium helped him watch many running competitions. This made him love the sport even more.
First International Success
El Guerrouj's first big international success came when he was 18. He won a bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 1992 Junior World Championships in Seoul. He finished behind Haile Gebrselassie and Ismael Kirui. The next year, he was the second-best runner on the Moroccan team at the World Junior Cross Country Championships.
In 1994, El Guerrouj was part of the Moroccan team that won the 1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships. They set a new world record time in that race.
Rising to Prominence
El Guerrouj became very well known in the mid-1990s. He ran incredibly fast times in the 1500 metres and mile races. At 20 years old, he finished second in the 1500 metres at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. He was beaten by the then-world record holder, Noureddine Morceli. In 1996, he ran a new personal best in the 1500 metres in Stockholm. This made him a top favorite for the gold at the Olympic Games.
Olympic Challenges and World Records (1996-1999)
El Guerrouj competed in his first Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta. During the 1500 metres final, he was moving into position to challenge for the lead. However, he fell with 400 meters left in the race. He ended up finishing last in 12th place. Many people had expected him to win, especially against the world record holder, Noureddine Morceli.
Bouncing Back and Winning Titles
Just one month after his fall, El Guerrouj showed his strength. At the Grand Prix final in Milan, he became the first runner to beat Morceli in the 1500 m in four years. In the years that followed, El Guerrouj became the only middle-distance runner to win four world titles in a row. He won in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003.
Setting Indoor World Records
El Guerrouj set two world indoor records at the start of 1997. First, he set a 1500 m record of 3:31.18 at the Sparkassen Cup. This record stood for 22 years until 2019. A few weeks later, he set a new indoor world record of 3:48.45 in the mile run. This record also stood until 2019.
Breaking Outdoor World Records
In 1998, in Rome, El Guerrouj broke Morceli's 1500 m world record. He ran it in an incredible 3:26.00. This record still stands today. It was the first time anyone ran the 1500 m with an average pace under 55 seconds per lap.
In 1999, also in Rome, El Guerrouj broke the world record in the mile. He ran it in 3:43.13. The runner who came in second, Noah Ngeny, also ran faster than the old world record. This was the first time in over 40 years that two men had broken the mile world record in the same race. These records have not been broken in a quarter of a century.
Later in 1999, he set a new world record for the 2000 m in Berlin. He ran it in 4:44.79, which was more than three seconds faster than the old record. This record was later broken in 2023. In 1999, El Guerrouj also ran what was then the second fastest 3000 m ever in Brussels.
Olympic Silver and Continued Dominance (2000-2003)
At the Sydney Olympics, El Guerrouj was expected to win the gold medal. However, he finished second in the 1500 metres. He was beaten by Noah Ngeny, a talented Kenyan runner. Ngeny had even been El Guerrouj's pacemaker when El Guerrouj set his 1500m world record in 1998.
Winning Streak and New Personal Bests
El Guerrouj successfully defended his 1500 m title at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships. He almost broke his own 1500 m record in Brussels in 2001, running 3:26.12. He also won three IAAF Golden League prizes in a row from 2001 to 2003. He was the only middle distance athlete to win the jackpot three times in a row.
In 2003, El Guerrouj set a personal best in the 5000 metres, running 12:50.24. This is still one of the fastest times ever in that event. Later that year, at the World Track & Field Championships, he finished a close second in the 5000 metres. He added this silver medal to the gold he had already won in the 1500 metres.
Athens Olympic Double and Retirement (2004)
The start of El Guerrouj's 2004 season was not his best. He had slower times and finished 8th in a 1500-metre race in Rome. Despite this, he decided to compete in both the 1500 metres and the 5000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Just 20 days before the Olympic final, another top runner, Bernard Lagat, ran the fastest 1500 m of 2004. Lagat narrowly beat El Guerrouj in that race. However, on August 24, in the final stretch of the Olympic 1500m final, El Guerrouj beat Lagat by a tiny margin, winning the gold medal. El Guerrouj was leading, then Lagat passed him, but El Guerrouj pushed hard and took the lead back just before the finish line.
Four days later, El Guerrouj won the 5,000 m final with a time of 13:14.39. This stopped Kenenisa Bekele from winning both the 5000 m and 10000 m races. The last time someone won both was in 1980.
El Guerrouj became the first man in 80 years to win both the 1500m and 5000m titles at the same Olympics. The only other person to do this was the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi in 1924.
After achieving his biggest goals in sports, and due to injuries from his intense training, El Guerrouj did not compete internationally again after the 2004 Olympics. He officially announced his retirement on May 22, 2006.
Awards and Honors for a Champion
Hicham El Guerrouj's amazing career is marked by many awards. He received an award for his humanitarian effort from the IAAF in 1996. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
He was named IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 2001, 2002, and 2003. This was because he remained unbeaten in over 20 races. He was the first man to win this award in consecutive years. The athletics journal Track and Field News also named him best athlete of the year in 2002. In 2003, he was chosen to be a member of the IAAF Athletes Committee.
On September 7, 2004, King Mohammed VI of Morocco honored El Guerrouj with a special decoration. In the same year, he received the Prince of Asturias Awards.
He was a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission from 2004 to 2012.
Today, Hicham El Guerrouj is an Ambassador for Peace and Sport. This is an international organization based in Monaco. He is also part of their "Champions for Peace" club. This group includes 54 famous athletes who work to promote peace through sport around the world.
Personal Life and Inspirations
During the 1996 Summer Olympics, after his difficult fall in the 1500 metres final, El Guerrouj received a phone call. It was from King Hassan II, who was then the King of Morocco. King Hassan II told El Guerrouj:
"Do not cry. You are a champion in the eyes of the Moroccan people."
El Guerrouj later said that this call changed him. He felt like a new person after the King's words.
On September 27, 2003, El Guerrouj married Najoua Lahbil. They have a daughter named Hiba.
El Guerrouj looks up to Roger Bannister, who was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. El Guerrouj considers Bannister his "spiritual father." He met Bannister in 2000. In May 2024, he attended an event in Oxford, England, celebrating 70 years since Bannister's historic mile run. In 2019, he also attended a special event in Monaco about the history of the mile race.
In 2024, El Guerrouj talked about the difference between the mile and 1500 metres races. He said:
"My favourite is 1500m. It's part of my heart. I competed in it a lot and I know every metre of this race. The mile is completely different. If you are not strong physically and mentally, you cannot run it well."
El Guerrouj attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was also a torchbearer for the event. In September 2024, he attended the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels. There, he greeted Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the finish line of the 1500 m race.
International Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Morocco |
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| 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 | |||
Personal Bests
The table below shows El Guerrouj's fastest times in different races:
| Distance | Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 metres | 1:47.18 | 2 June 1995 | Turin | |
| 1000 metres | 2:16.85 | 12 July 1995 | Nice | |
| 1500 metres | 3:26.00 | 14 July 1998 | Rome | WR |
| Indoor 1500 metres | 3:31.18 | 2 February 1997 | Stuttgart | 3rd all time |
| Mile | 3:43.13 | 7 July 1999 | Rome | WR |
| Indoor mile | 3:48.45 | 12 February 1997 | Ghent | 3rd all time |
| 2000 metres | 4:44.79 | 7 September 1999 | Berlin | 2nd all time |
| 3000 metres | 7:23.09 | 3 September 1999 | Brussels | 4th all time |
| Indoor 3000 metres | 7:33.73 | 23 February 2003 | Liévin | |
| Indoor 2 miles | 8:06.61 | 23 February 2003 | 9th all time | |
| 5000 metres | 12:50.24 | 12 March 2003 | Ostrava | |
| Ekiden | 1:57:56 | 17 April 1994 | Litochoro |
Awards
- World Athlete of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003
- Track & Field News Athlete of the Year: 1999, 2001, 2002
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions: 2005
- IAAF Hall of Fame: 2014
See also
In Spanish: Hicham El Guerrouj para niños
- 1500 metres world record progression
- Mile run world record progression
