Zhor El Kamch (MAR) women's race winner at World Military XC (© Slim Gomri)
The Moroccan team attending the 34th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which take place in Fukuoka, Japan from 1 -2 April, will compete with a full contingent of runners in five of the six races on the programme. The only race in which they will not be represented is the women’s long.
The Moroccan team this year is centred on a large party of young athletes who participated brilliantly in the recent northern zone African XC Champs which were held in Biskra, Algeria. However, the federation has also chosen some proven athletes to contest the senior races, and these include Adil Kaouch, Goumri Abderrahim, Khalid El Amri, Mohamed Amyn, Ahmed Baday, Aissa Dghoughi and Youssef Baba .
The junior men’s team is led by national champion Cherkaoui Mohcine, and the women’s junior team by his counterpart Majida Maarouf. In the women’s senior short race, national champion Hanane Ouhaddou, and in the junior women’s race Fatima El Ouazzani, the Moroccan youth silver medallist, will be two of the other new talents on show.
Of the more well known names, Adil Kaouch, the World 1500m silver medallist, who has been the best Moroccan in the last two editions of the World Cross when finishing 10th in 2004 and 11th in 2005 at the men’s short race, heads the line-up.
Joining him is the young Mohamed Mestaoui, who was 14th last year in France, and Abderrahim Goumri, who finished 8th at the 10,000m on the track in Helsinki last summer, and is selected for both short and long races in Fukuoka.
Zhor El Kamch, the reigning World Military XC champion who won that title for the third time in Tunisia on 4 March heads the women’s short race selection. She is joined by Bouchra Chaabi, who was 16th in 2005, and Meryem Alaoui Selsouli, the World University XC champion.
The best team performance last year was a fourth place finish for the Moroccan men’s short race squad, while as already mentioned Adil Kaouch was the highest individual finisher in 2005. As well as improving on both those results, it is hoped that the women’s senior short race and junior teams can better their fifth place finishes from last year. The junior men finished eighth in 2005.
Since 1973, Morocco have won 29 medals (3 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze). With the wins coming from Khalid Skah (1990 + 91), and the women’s short race team in 1998.
Mohammed Benchrif for the IAAF
The team:
Junior men
1- Cherkaoui Mohcine.
2- Karich Moussa.
3- Oulkaid Abdelmounaim.
4- Ezamzami Abid.
5- Bouifalloussene Mohamed.
6- Ait Bahmad Abdelghani.
Senior men – short race
1- Kaouch Adil.
2- Goumri Abderahim.
3- Belani Hicham.
4- Beday Ahmed.
5- Selmouni Anis.
6- Ezzine Hamid.
7- Baba Youssef.
8- Moustaoui Mohamed.
Senior men – long race
1- Goumri Abderrahim.
2- Amyn Mohamed .
3- El Amri Khalid
4- Baday Ahmed.
5- Beloua Brahim.
6- Dghoughi Aissa.
7- Azzouzi Said.
Junior women
1- Maarouf Majida.
2- Bani Aicha.
3- Ghizlane Asmae.
4- Majdoub Fouzia.
5- El Ouazzani Fatima.
6- Regragui Houda.
Senior women - short race
1- El Kamch Zhor.
2- Chaabi Bouchra.
3- Alaoui Selsouli Meryem.
4- Ouhadou Hanane.
5- Ayachi Fatima.
6- El Mehdi Saida.
