Morocco’s Boys and Girls medley relay teams close the Athletics competition in style, smashing the championships records in their events, on the fourth and final day of the 17th edition of Gymnasiade – World School Summer Games – in Marrakech on Monday.
The Moroccan girls quartet of Imane Mekrazi, Asmae Mekrazi, Chaimae Arrouf and Meryem Azrour kick-started the record rush in the penultimate event of the night, setting a new Gymnasiade record of 5:12.99 to win the 200mx400mx600mx800m medley relay Final.
Chinese Taipei claimed the silver medal in 5:22.18 ahead of Brazil, who took the bronze medal in 5:23.62. Team Algeria finished in fifth place in 5:32.84.
Morocco boys quartet of Marouane Ouriche, Mehdi Sefrani, Charaf Zahir and Mohammed Aboutahiry followed shortly afterwards, breaking their championship record of 4:23.37 (set in Trabzon, Turkey in 2016) in the 200mx400mx600mx800m medley relay Final to snatch gold in 4:21.47.
Brazil came second to pick silver in 4:27.85 while the Algerian quartet of Abderahmane Zadi, Ahmed Rafik Baghiri, Mohamed Ali Gouaned and Hamdani Benahmed settled for the bronze medal in 4:28.35.
Morocco’s Boys 200mx400mx600mx800m relay team after winning gold at Gymnasiade 2018 / Photo Credit: Yomi Omogbeja
Tunisia’s Ahmed Sayf Kadri won the Boys 2000m Steeplechase gold medal in 5:58.47.
Portugal’s Etson Barros finished second in 5:59.28 ahead of Mohamed Dahmouch of Morocco, who took the bronze medal in 6:03.97.
Khadija Rakkou led a Moroccan 1-2 in the Girls 2000m Steeplechase Final. Rakkou took gold in 6:52.31 ahead of her teammate Soukaina Hajji, who claimed the silver medal in 7:08.67. Greek Marina Porgiopoylou took the bronze medal in a time of 7:14.45.
Yijia Fu of China won the Girls 400m hurdles Final in 1:00.34 ahead of Loubna Benhadja of Algeria, who took the silver medal in 1:00.54.
GALLERY:
IN PICTURES: ISF GYMNASIADE 2018
Morocco’s Abderrazaq Mouzdahir took the Boys 400m hurdles gold in 52.30. Caio Teixeira of Brazil was second in 52.59 while Li Li of China finished with the bronze medal in 53.44.
RESULTS
Gymnasiade 2018 – Day 3 Athletics Results
Gymnasiade 2018 – Day 4 Athletics Results
(AthleticsAfrica is a media partner of the ISF Sports Gymnasiade 2018 in Marrakech, Morocco)