THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Moroccan Olympics

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Moroccan Olympics - update #2

Floored in the men's 60 kg preliminary judo bout

Ludwig Paischer of Austria competes against Younes Ahmadi of Morocco .
(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Safouane Attaf (L) and Great Britain's Euan Burton compete during their men's -81kg judo

In the past Morocco has won 19 Olympic medals but only in two sports, with 16 medals from athletics and three medals from boxing. Morocco's first gold was won by Nawal El Moutawakel in the women's 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Saïd Aouita, the overwhelming favourite for the 5000m in Los Angeles, won Morocco's second Olympic gold. He went undefeated over the distance for almost ten years but injury prevented him from defending his title in 1988, although he still managed to win a bronze medal.

In Athens 2004 four-time world champion Hicham El Guerrouj added two gold medals to his silver medal from Sydney 2000 by winning the 1500m and 5000m. He became the first athlete in 80 years to win both 1500m and 5000m at the same Olympic Games. Finnish legend Paavo Nurmi did the double at 1924.Games in Paris. The two gold medals also made El Guerrouj Morocco's most successful Olympian.

Azerbaijan's Samir Mammadov (L) is declared winner after defeating

Morocco's Abdelillah Nhaila during the Flyweight (51 kg) bout

Morocco's Hicham Mesbahi is declared winner after defeating
Colombia's Jonatan Romero in Bantamweight (54 kg) class

In Beijing Morocco has not had a lot to smile about so far. In boxing (middleweight division) Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev, who won gold in the welterweight division at Athens 2004 and bronze in the middleweight division at the 2007 World Championships, pocketed an 8-2 victory over Morocco's Said Rachidi.

Today in the super Heavyweight (+91kg)

Up-and-coming 2007 World Championships bronze medalist Zhang Zhilei of China meets 2005 African Championship gold medalist Mohamed Amanissi of Morocco in his preliminary encounter. Zhang is also a 2007 Asian Championship silver medalist.

Archery