Saïd Aouita

Saïd Aouita (Arabic: سعيد عويطة; born November 2, 1959) is a former Moroccan track and field athlete. He is the only athlete in history to have won a medal in each of the 800 meters and 5000 meters at the Olympic games. He won the 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, as well as the 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships.[2] He is a former world record holder over 1500 metres (3:29.46), 2000 m (4:50.80), 3000 m (7:29.45), and twice at 5000 m (13:00.40 and 12:58.39). He lives in Orlando, Florida.

Said Aouita
سعيد عويطة
Aouita at the 1987 World Championships
Personal information
NationalityMoroccan
Born (1959-11-02) 2 November 1959
Kenitra, Morocco
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)1500 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Representing  Morocco
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1984 Los Angeles 5000 m
Bronze medal – third place1988 Seoul 800 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Rome 5000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Helsinki 1500 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place1989 Budapest3000 m
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1983 Casablanca 800 m
Gold medal – first place 1983 Casablanca 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 1987 Latakia 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 1987 Latakia 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 1987 Latakia 3000 m steeple

Early life

Saïd Aouita was born on November 2, 1959 in Kenitra, a coastal Moroccan city. Nine years later, he moved along with his family to Fes due to the nature of his father's work. As a child he spent most of his time playing football and wanted to be a great footballer; however, his outstanding skills in running made his coaches foresee a great future in track and field.

Running career

Aouita had his first start towards stardom at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics held in Helsinki. He contested the 1500 m and finished third in the final, taking the bronze medal, after the pace slowed in the last 1000 meters and then finished with a sprint.

In 1984, Aouita decided to run the 5000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Antonio Leitão from Portugal ran in first for the majority of the race. Aouita stayed behind Leitão and then sprinted past him on the last lap to win.

1985 was a record-breaking year for Aouita. He ran two world records: first in 5000 m (13:00.40) in Oslo on the 27 July, then in 1500 m (3:29.46) on the 23 August.

In 1986 he missed setting the world record in the 3000 m by 0.44 of a second.[3]

In 1987, Aouita's main objective was to excel in the world championship held in Rome and break records. First, he broke the 2000 m world record with a time of 4:50.81 in Paris and only six days later, he surprised the world by breaking his own world record for 5000 m, becoming the first man to go under 13 minutes, with a time of 12:58.39 minutes. For the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, Aouita decided just to contest the 5000 m. In the 5000 m final, John Ngugi from Kenya set a fair pace, but by no means fast. Aouita, always in control of the race, made his move just before the bell, leading a mass sprint for the finish that he won in 13:26.44.

In 1988, at the 1988 Summer Olympics, he attempted to race in the 800 m and 1500 m but had a hamstring injury which made him finish third in 800 m and withdraw from the 1500 m although he had qualified for the semi-final. In spite of that his bronze medal made him the only athlete in history to combine medals at both 800 m and 5000 m.

In 1989, Aouita won the 3000 m at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest. Later that year, he broke the world record for the same distance in Köln, Germany with the time of 7:29.45 and thus, he was the first man in history to go under 7:30:00.

Aouita was a versatile middle and long distance runner, excelling at distances between 800 m and 10,000 m during the eighties. He raced and won against the Olympic champions Joaquim Cruz (800 m), Peter Rono (1500 m), John Ngugi (5000 m) and Alberto Cova (10000 m) over their respective main distances. Between September 1983 and September 1990 he won 115 of his 119 races. The defeats were against world champion Steve Cram over 1500 m, Olympic bronze medalist Alessandro Lambruschini over 3000 m steeplechase, Olympic champions Joaquim Cruz and Paul Ereng over 800 m and world champion Yobes Ondieki over 5000 m.

In the early nineties, Aouita underwent surgery on his leg, after which his doctors advised him to put an end to his career as an athlete for his health. After a set of failures in a number of races he decided to retire from athletics.

Personal life

Said Aouita married Khadija Skhir in 1983, one year before the 1984 Olympic Games. Khadija Skhir is Said Aouita's biggest supporter, and together they have four children: one son, Adil, and three daughters; Soukaina, Sarah, and Zeena. The two eldest daughters, Soukaina and Sarah, were both named by the king of Morocco, Hassan II. Said Aouita's wife, Khadija Skhir is equally interested in sports as she holds a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo. Aouita's two eldest daughters are both in the medical field, his son, Adil, is a film director and producer, and his youngest daughter, Zeena, is in the music field of singing and songwriting.

After his athletics career ended, Aouita worked with mixed success as a consultant for numerous sport institutions, as Technical National Manager in Morocco, and National Distance Coach in Australia thanks not only to his fruitful field experience, but also to his academic competences. Now, Aouita is working as Senior Analyst for Al Jazeera Sports channel. Aouita also has a sports clothing company which was established in 2009.

Education

Aouita has a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and master's degree in Business Administration. He is pursuing a doctorate in Sport Management and Leadership. His subject of concern is a model for elite athletic achievement in Olympics. He is interested in the impact of sport business and coaching young athletes to one day be Olympic champions.

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1980 Islamic Games Izmir, Turkey 1st 800 m
1st 1500 m
1981 World Student Games Bucharest, Romania 1st 1500 m GR
1982 African Championships Cairo, Egypt 3rd 800 m
2nd 1500 m
1983 Mediterranean Games Casablanca, Morocco 1st 800 m
1st 1500 m
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 3rd 1500 m
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 1st 5000 m OR
African Championships Rabat, Morocco 1st 1500 m
1985 Pan Arab Games Casablanca, Morocco 1st 1500 m
1987 Mediterranean Games Latakia, Syria 1st 1500 m
1st 5000 m
2nd 3000 m steeplechase
World Championships Rome, Italy 1st 5000 m
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 3rd 800 m
1989 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 3000 m
Jeux de la Francophonie Casablanca, Morocco 1st 5000 m
IAAF World Cup Barcelona, Spain 1st 5000 m
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 11th 1500 m

World records

Awards and distinctions

Aouita on Azerbaijani postage stamp
  • In 2012 Said Aouita had a subway station named after him in London for the 2012 Olympic Games. The Organizers of the Olympic Games of London 2012 announced the launch of a project called "The Underground Olympic Legends Map."
  • Track & Field News Athlete of the Year 1985 and 1987
  • 44 successive victories in international races from 800 m to 10,000 m in less than 26 months
  • Three times IAAF Grand Prix Final winner (800 m, 1500 m, and 5000 m)[4]
  • Honored by International Amateur Athletics Federation for Career Achievement in 2001
  • The only man in history to run the 800 m under 1:44, the 1500 m under 3:30, the 3000 m under 7:30 and the 5000 m under 13:00.
  • Best Arab Athlete of the Century by Al Jazeera TV in 2000
  • Many Merit Medals by King Hassan II
  • In the 1996 Spring Summer Olympic special Collection Aquachrono, Swatch made a watch which featured Said Aouita on it.
  • The fastest train in Morocco is named after Said Aouita
  • Aouita was on a postage stamp of The Republic of Azerbaijan in 1996

References

  1. IAAF. "Said AOUITA - Athlete Profile".
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Said Aouita". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  3. Moore, Kenny (August 25, 1986). "Aouita Over Rono? Oh, No No". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  4. IAAF GRAND PRIX FINAL. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-12-20.
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