Lens Navigator -- Your Guide to all things Hicham 

• Did you know? Five fun facts about Hicham El Guerrouj!
• Hicham's early career
• Quick Poll: Would Hicham have won gold in 1996 had he not fallen down?
• Video: 20 year-old Hicham runs a 13:43 leg at the World Road Relay Championships
• Hicham's middle career
• Quick Poll: Which country will the next 1500m/mile world record holder come from?
• Video: Hicham breaks the 1500 meter world record in Rome
• Video: Hicham breaks the world record in the mile in Rome
• Hicham's Diary for the IAAF
• Hicham wins double gold at the 2004 Athens Games
• Video: Hicham wins 1,500 meter gold in Athens
• Video: Hicham doubles back to win the 5,000 meters over Bekele
• Quick Poll: If Hicham trained for the 10k, how fast would he have run it?
• Hicham's Best Performances
• Quick Poll: What was Hicham's most impressive performance?
• The King of the Mile
• Other great distance running lenses by buraian
• What do you think about Hicham El Guerrouj?
• Optimal Training

Did you know? Five fun facts about Hicham El Guerrouj! 

And yes, knowing two out of five makes you diehard

1. Hicham is the only man to win back-to-back athlete of the year awards in track and field. He earned it by winning more than 20 straight races from 2001 to 2002!
2. Prior to his gold medal wins in Athens, Hicham had won 84 of his 89 races at the 1,500m and mile!
3. In the 2004 Olympic 1500m final, Hicham's closing 800m was 1:46.34!
4. Hicham was awarded the "Cordon de Commandeur" by King Mohammad IV of Morocco and the Prince of Asturias Award in 2004!
5. Hicham is currently ranked 12th on the list of Best Olympic Distance Performers Ever. To see who's ahead of him, click here!

Hicham's early career 

From Berkane to Atlanta

"My father told me it was not a job, that I wouldn't make a living at tennis, ... The toughest part was trying to explain to him that I could be the first one from Morocco to do it. But he didn't want me to play. We didn't talk for a year. That was when I knew I couldn't fail. I had to show him it was the right decision. It was a great motivation." --Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham became interested in racing as a child after being inspired by countryman Said Aouita's win in the 5,000 meters during the 1984 Olympics.

Hicham is the fourth of eight brothers in his family but also has at least one sister. His early sporting days consisted of playing goalkeeper for his local football (soccer) club until the age of 15. He won his first race at the age of 14 without training specifically for athletics. Hicham began to practice athletics in 1990 after being spurred on by a teacher.

In 1991 he was chosen to train at the National Institute of Athletics in Rabat, Morocco, with his current and only coach Abdelkader Kada. He had a 1,500 meters PR of 3:51 in 1991 and in 1992 he made his debut at the international level as a member of the Moroccan junior team for the 1992 World Cross Country Championships, where he finished 14th.

Hicham's first international success came in 1992, when he was 3rd (13:46.79) in the 5,000 meters of the 1992 junior World Championships in Seoul. The star of that meet was Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who won both the 5,000 and the 10,000 meters.

In 1994, Hicham was a member of the Moroccan team in the 1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships. He ran his 5,000 meter leg in a time of 13:43, and his Moroccan team won the race with the world record (1:57:56). (See video here.)

He rose to international prominence in the mid-1990s with near-record times in the 1,500 meters and mile. At the age of only 20 he finished second over 1,500 meters (3:35.28) at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg behind Noureddine Morceli (3:33.73). On July 8, 1996,, after setting a new personal best over 1,500 meters in 3:29.59 in Stockholm, he was expected to be one of the leading contenders for Olympic gold.

The Olympic final was contested on August 3, 1996. In that race, the 22 year-old Hicham had been tipped to challenge the Algerian Noureddine Morceli, the world record holder at that time and three-time (1991, 1993 and 1995) World champion. Hicham moved out of the pack, glided past Spain's Fermin Cacho--the 1992 Barcelona Olympics champion--and onto leading Morceli's shoulder. But as they approached the bell, Hicham's left foot knocked against Morceli's right foot. The Algerian stumbled but survived, while Hicham was sent tumbling. He picked himself up to finish, but came home 12th (last) in 3:40.75, shattered and devastated.

Sources: Wikipedia, The King of the Mile

Quick Poll: Would Hicham have won gold in 1996 had he not fallen down? 

Video: 20 year-old Hicham runs a 13:43 leg at the World Road Relay Championships 

Watch as he comes from behind to pass the Kenyan and Ethiopian teams

Hicham's middle career 

From Atlanta to Athens

"Then came Sydney. Crushed by the weight of expectations. When I arrived here today, I was crying and my coach had to calm me down ... I have lived with this dream for four years and it lies in tatters at my feet." --Hicham El Guerrouj after losing in Sydney

Just one month after the Atlanta Olympics, on September 7, Hicham became the first runner to defeat Morceli over 1,500 meters for four years when the two met at the Grand Prix final in Milan. The race officially ended Morceli's four years reign over 1,500 meters.

In 1997, Hicham won his first World Championships title. He would go on to win four consecutive titles (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003), the only middle distance runner to ever accomplish the feat.

At a meet in Rome in 1998, Hicham broke Morceli's 1,500 meters world record (3:27.37) with a new world record of 3:26.00. (See video here.)On July 7, 1999, in Rome again, Hicham broke the world record in the mile set by Noureddine Morceli, recording a remarkable 3:43.13 and just edging out Noah Ngeny of Kenya, who recorded 3:43.40. (See video here.)

Later in that season he set a new world record over 2,000 meters in Berlin at 4:44.79, shattering the previous mark (set by Morceli) by more than three seconds. (This astonishing mark is the equivalent of a 3:49 for the mile plus another lap at 55 second pace.) He also ran the second fastest 3,000 meters ever by clocking 7:23.09 in Brussels in 1999.

At the Sydney Olympics, despite being the world record holder and two-time world champion at 1,500 meters (in 1997 and 1999), Hicham finished second. He was out-kicked by Noah Ngeny, a Kenyan runner who holds the world record at 1,000 meters and had served as Hicham's pacemaker when he broke the 1,500 meters world record in Rome in 1998 and who narrowly lost to Hicham when he broke the world record in the mile in 1999. Ngeny's time in that race remains to this date the second fastest mile ever run.

Despite his Sydney defeat, Hicham defended his title as World Champion at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships. He also just missed breaking his own 1,500 meter record in Brussels in 2001 with a time of 3:26.12.

Hicham El Guerrouj also won 3 consecutive IAAF Golden League prizes from 2001-2003. He won 20 consecutive races across that time period for a share of the $1 million jackpot. He remains to this day the only athlete to have won a share of the jackpot three years in a row.

Sources: Wikipedia

Quick Poll: Which country will the next 1500m/mile world record holder come from? 

Video: Hicham breaks the 1500 meter world record in Rome 

His time of 3:26.00 is still the world record today

Video: Hicham breaks the world record in the mile in Rome 

His time of 3:43.13 is still the world record today

The best of the best about "the mile" at Amazon 

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Hicham's Diary for the IAAF 

Hicham on Hicham

"Winning the jackpot will be harder this year, as we have to win our event in all seven meetings, but it is a noble challenge, and athletes like challenges."

I'm all set for the Golden Mile in Oslo

"We start training in the morning, with jogging, then work on the track and specifically on rhythm."

"Rome? I love the climate and I love the stadium"

"But what I really want though is to make a good show, to give something to the public. I want them to enjoy the meeting. I represent a country of 30 million people and I am proud to be their idol. I just want to give the affection back."

Hicham wins double gold at the 2004 Athens Games 

He finally gets his 1500 meter crown

"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." --Hicham El Guerrouj, on winning the 1,500 meters gold medal in 2004

About 20 days before the Olympics final, Kenyan Bernard Lagat, the 2000 bronze medalist at 1,500 meters, ran the fastest 1,500 meters in 2004 (3:27.40), narrowly defeating Hicham (3.27.64) at the Weltklasse Zürich meet on August 6, 2004. His win put an end to Hicham's seven-year winning streak in Zurich between 1996 and 2003.

However in the 1,500 meters final on August 24, 2004, Hicham won the gold medal (3:34.18) running a stunning 1:46.34 last 800 meters to out-kick Lagat (3:34.30). (See video here.)

Four days later, Hicham and the 10,000 meters champion Kenenisa Bekele met in the 5,000 meters final. Hicham waited behind Bekele until the home straightaway where he held off Bekele (2nd, 13:14.59) and Eliud Kipchoge (3rd, 13:15.10) for a 13:14.39 win. (See video here.) Hicham's win prevented Bekele from scoring wins over both 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, last achieved by Ethiopian Miruts Yifter in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Hicham himself became then the first man in 80 years to win both the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters races in the same Olympics, after arguably the greatest Olympic distance performer ever, the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi, in 1924.

After winning his 1,500 meters Olympic gold, Hicham had nothing left to prove, nothing to motivate him to go further, and his reign over 1,500 meters began heading towards its end. After the Olympics, he never again competed internationally, watching the 2005 World Championships from the stands in Helsinki as his 1,500 meter World Champion title passed to Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain.

On May 22, 2006, Hicham officially announced his retirement.

Sources: Wikipedia

Video: Hicham wins 1,500 meter gold in Athens 

His last 800 meters...1:46.34!

Video: Hicham doubles back to win the 5,000 meters over Bekele 

Two golds...8 years in the making

The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens 2004 Edition 

by David Wallechinsky

The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens 2004 Edition (Complete Book of the Olympics)

by David Wallechinsky

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/12/2008)

After a long search for an Olympic record/history book, I am very glad that I found this one. As another reviewer pointed out, one of the jewels of this book is that it list first through eighth place for all events. And it covers ALL events, including the discontinued ones (tug-of-war, croquet, the swimming obstacle race, etc...). There is also a short background history on a vast majority of the entries which is excellent. I have been extremely happy with this book and I'm relying heavily on it now during the Athens Games. I will definitely buy his next Complete Book of the Winter Olympics. --RocketRealtor

Quick Poll: If Hicham trained for the 10k, how fast would he have run it? 

Hicham's Best Performances 

"If I am to compete in it it is only if I feel I can win. Otherwise there is not much point in me going." --Hicham El Guerrouj

Championships

1500m, World Indoor Championships, 1995 (3:44.54)
1500m, World Indoor Championships, 1997 (3:35.31)
1500m, World Outdoor Championships, 1997 (3:35.83)
1500m, World Outdoor Championships, 1999 (3:27.65)
3000m, World Indoor Championships, 2001 (7:37.74)
1500m, World Outdoor Championships, 2001 (3:30.68)
1500m, World Outdoor Championships, 2003 (3:31.77)
1500m, Athens Olympics, 2004 (3:34.18)
5000m, Athens Olympics, 2004 (13:14.39)

Personal Records

1:47.18 - 800m - (unofficial 1:42.70 in practice!)
2:16.85 - 1000m - Nice (1999)
3:26.00WR - 1500m - Rome (1998)
3:31.18WR - 1500m indoor - Stuttgart (1997)
3:43.13WR - mile - Rome (1999)
3:48.45WR - mile indoor - Gand (1997)
4:44.79WR - 2000m - Berlin (1999)
7:23.09 - 3000m - Brussels (1999)
12:50.24 - 5000m - Ostrava (2003)

Sources: Wikipedia, IAAF

Quick Poll: What was Hicham's most impressive performance? 

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