[link id=”94″ tax=”category” text=”Morocco”] will send a team of 21 athletes, 14 men and seven women to take part in the [link id=”144″ tax=”post_tag” text=”14th IAAF World Championships”] in Athletics to be held from August 10 to 18 next month in the Russian capital, Moscow.
The contingent from the [link id=”5370″ text=”North African”] country to the premier IAAF event is diverse, made up of both experienced and young athletes in search of achievement on the international stage .
The team will be looking forward to do better than in the last two editions after returning empty handed from Berlin (2009) and Daegu (2011).
The women’s team consist of athletes who have distinguished themselves this summer in European meetings including [link id=”225″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Malika Akkaoui”], who has the second world best performance of the year. Akkaoui will compete in the 800m alongside [link id=”226″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Halima Hachlaf”].
The country’s medal chances are high in the 1500m with famous athletes such as [link id=”224″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Ibtissam Lakhouad”], Siham Hilali and Rabab Arrafi with Salima El Ouali Alami for the 3,000m steeplechase and Lambarki Hayat for the 400m Hurdles.
[link id=”223″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Abdelaâti Iguider”], the bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in London, will of-course lead the men’s team and has been registered for the 1,500m and 5,000m.
Morocco’s best performance to date, a fifth placing on the medal table, came at the World Championships in Seville (Spain) in 1999 where the team won five medals: two Gold medals by Hicham El Guerrouj (1500m) and Salah Hissou; two silver medals won by Nezha Bidouane (400m hurdles) and Zahra Ouaziz (5000m) and one bronze to make the Ali Ezzine.
The Full Team
Women:
- Malika Akkaoui (800m)
- Halima Hachlaf (800m)
- Ibtissam Lakhouad (1500m)
- Siham Hilali (1500m)
- Rabab Arrafi (1500m)
- Salima El Ouali Alami (3000m steeplechase)
- Lambarki Hayat (400m)
Men:
- Abdelaâti Iguider (1500m, 5000m)
- Mohamed Moustaoui (1500m)
- Zakaria Mazouzi (1500m)
- Aziz Lahbabi (5000m)
- Othmane Goumri (5000m)
- Samir Jamaâ (800m)
- Amine El Manaoui (800m)
- Hamid Ezzine (3000m steeplechase)
- Jaouad Chemlal (3000m steeplechase)
- Mohamed Boulama (3000m steeplechase)
- Aziz Ouhadi (100m, 200m)
- Jaouad Gharib (Marathon)
- Hafid Chani (Marathon)
- Mohamed Bilal (Marathon)
