Monthy Athlete Profile

This month: Hicham El Guerrouj                     (ee-SHAM el-gah-ROOSH)

Height: 5' 9" (179 cm) Weight: 148 lbs (67 kgs) Born: Sept. 14, 1974 Birth Place: Berkane, Morocco Coached by: Abdel Kader Kada World Records: 1500-meter 3:26.00 14-Jul-98 Rome Mile           3:43.13 07-Jul-99 Rome 2000-meter 4:44.79 07-Sep-99 Berlin Supplanting his mark as the world's preeminent middle-distance runner after beating Algerian Noureddine Morceli. He has won 1500-meter gold medals at the past two World Championships (3 minutes 27.65 seconds*) and has lost just one race over 1500 meters since the 1996 Olympics. Time: 1996 Place: Atlanta (Olympics) El Guerrouj was expected to challenge Morceli for the gold in the 1500. But as the final lap began, beginning his stride he trips on the Algerian's heel and falls to the track. Unable to recover he finished last. "It was the black point of my life"

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The disappointment didn't last long. After the race, while hiding under the stadium crying, El Guerrouj received a call from King Hassan. The Moroccan monarch told him not to worry, that he was young and would have more Olympic opportunities. "After the call by His Majesty, it was another El Guerrouj who was born," the runner says. "There is no similarity to the El Guerrouj before that call and after." After the Olympics El Guerrouj was a Moroccan on a mission. Lowering Morceli's 1500-meter world standard to 3:26.00. A year later, he lowered Morceli's six-year-old mile mark clocking 3:43.13. Then in September 1999, he claimed his third world record, slicing the 2000-meter mark to 4:44.79 at a meet in the German capital of Berlin. El Guerrouj wasn't always a runner though. He first fell in love with soccer as a youngster, but then switched to running at the encouragement of a teacher who said he was too short to be a goalkeeper. He eventually was invited to his country's training center in Rabat, where he began emulating his idol, Said Aouita. El Guerrouj remembers watching on television as Aouita won gold in the 500 meters at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Time: 2000 Place: Sydney (Olympics) Dethroned as 1500-meter king when he got the silver medal to Noah Ngeny of Kenya in the sprint finish. He was in the lead with one and a half laps to go, and was still ahead in the final straight, but Noah ran a fabulous last 20-meters and beat Guerrouj to the line. Noah broke Seb Coe's Olympic record. After the end of the race, Hicham sat down on the track looking dejected. Later while talking to reporters, her was wiping away tears, but he made no excuses. "I lost. There are no excuses," he said. "It was a little injury. No excuses. I have been waiting for this medal since Atlanta, but that is sport. There is a winner and a loser... it just wasn't my day and Noah ran a very good race... Wilson Kipketer didn't win the 800, but he is still Wilson Kipketer... today I was not on top of my form." (for a better account for after the race click here...) It seems Olympic gold in the 1500-meter won't be in his destiny since be next year he plans to move up to the 5000-meter for the World Championships.