Abderrahim Goumri, Morocco (5000m)

Born 21 May 1976, Safi, Morocco

Abderrahim Goumri has excelled from a young age on roads, across country and on the track both indoor and outdoor. His first club was the Olympique de Safi. This club counted some great runners in its ranks, such as the Boulami brothers, Khalid who finished third over 5000m in the Atlanta Olympics, and Brahim who held the world record in the 3000m steeplechase, as well as the upcoming star, Rachid Ramzi, recently turned Bahraini.

Goumri first represented Morocco as a junior at the World Cross Country Championships in 1995 in Durham, England, where he finished 25th and shared in a team bronze medal.

He started running mainly road races, but the Moroccan federation encouraged him to focus on the 5000m and 10,000m on the track. Occasionally competed at distances from 1500m to 5000m in small Scandinavian meets in late 1990s. Missed most of 2000 with injuries but came back strongly in 2001, competing in half-a-dozen major Grand Prix meetings and recording PBs of 7:32.36 (6th Brussels 3000m), 13:03.60 (3rd Paris 5000m) and 27:26.01 (1st Prague 10,000m). Represented Morocco for the first time as a senior at the 2001 Jeux de la  Francophonie in Ottawa (2nd at 5000m in 13:38.06) and the Edmonton World Championships (16th at 10,000m in 28:14.06)

Since 2002 he has represented Morocco each year at the World Cross Country Championships, so far winning three team bronze medals and twice placing in the top 10. His Grand Prix career has also blossomed with numerous top-class times, culminating in London this year when he broke the 13-minute barrier for 5000m (12:59.04 for 3rd behind Haile Gebrselassie). That put Goumri at Number 8 on the 2004 world list, a position he hoped to better in Athens, but he appears to have been thrown off by the slow early pace, and he faded badly to finish 13th in 13:47.27.

Yearly progression 3000/ 5000: 1998 - 7:57.12/--; 1999 - 7:48.97/ 13:20.70;  2001 - 7:32.36/ 13:03.60;  2002 - 7:35.77/ 13:00.76;  2003 - 7:40.85i/ 13:05.81;  2004 - 7:44.00i/ 12:59.04.
Other PBs:  1500 - 3:39.80 (1998);  10,000 - 27:26.01 (2001)

In major championships:

25th World Cross 8 km Junior race, Durham, 1995; team bronze.
7th, World Cross 12 km, Dublin, 2002; team bronze.
10th World Cross 4 km, Lausanne, 2003; team bronze
15th World Cross 12 km, Lausanne, 2003; team bronze
14th World Cross 12 km, Brussels, 2004

12th World Half Marathon (62:59), Vilamoura, 2003

2nd, 5000m (13:38.06), Jeux de la  Francophonie, Ottawa, 2001
16th 10,000m (28:14.06), World Championships, Edmonton, 2001
4th 10,000m (28:45.92), African Championships, Tunis, 2002
9th 3000m (7:47.43i), World Indoor Championships, Birmingham, in 2003
10th 5000m (13:23.67), World Championships, Paris, 2003
13th 5000m (13:47.27) Olympic Games, Athens, 2004

Prepared by Mohamed Benchrif for the IAAF “Focus on Africans” project. © IAAF 2004.