ATHLETES from Morocco

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Moroccan Athletes of all time. This list of famous Moroccan Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Moroccan Athletes.

1. Saïd Aouita (1959 - )

With an HPI of 53.30, Saïd Aouita is the most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages on wikipedia.

Saïd Aouita (Arabic: سعيد عويطة; born November 2, 1959) is a former Moroccan track and field athlete. He is the only athlete in history to have won a medal in each of the 800 meters and 5000 meters at the Olympic games. He won the 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, as well as the 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He is a former world record holder over 1500 metres (3:29.46), 2000 m (4:50.80), 3000 m (7:29.45), and twice at 5000 m (13:00.40 and 12:58.39). He lives in Orlando, Florida.

2. Rhadi Ben Abdesselam (1929 - 2000)

With an HPI of 50.93, Rhadi Ben Abdesselam is the 2nd most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Rhadi Ben Abdesselam (Arabic: راضي بن عبد السلام; 28 February 1929 – 4 October 2000) was a Moroccan long-distance runner. He competed at the 1960 Olympics in the marathon and 10,000 meters events. He also ran in the International Cross Country Championships in 1958–1963. In March 1960, he and Belgium's Gaston Roelants quickly broke away from the field, and he became the first African athlete to win the individual gold medal in that event, defeating Roelants by 40 yards. On September 8, 1960, he finished in 14th place in the finals-only 10,000 meters, in 29:32.0, almost a minute behind the winner, the Soviet Union's Pyotr Bolotnikov, who broke the Olympic record for the event. Just two days later, the blazing pace through the first 20 kilometers in the marathon helped result in an eventual world record for the barefoot winner, Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila. After they dispatched the rest of the field by 25 kilometers, the leading pair stayed stride-for-stride until the final 500 meters, with Ben Abdesselam finishing a close second in 2:15:41.6, 25.4 seconds behind Abebe's new world record. Abebe's mark trimmed 8/10ths of a second off Sergei Popov's world record of 2:15:17.0, set in 1958. Ironically, Abebe had been advised to watch out for Ben Abdesselam, but the latter wore his 10,000 meter competition number, so Abebe was unaware of the identity of his pursuer. Popov finished 5th in Rome, two minutes behind New Zealand's Barry Magee, who took the bronze medal.

3. Hicham El Guerrouj (1974 - )

With an HPI of 49.36, Hicham El Guerrouj is the 3rd most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الݣروج; Berber languages: ⵀⵉⵛⴰⵎ ⴻⵍ ⴳⴻⵔⵔⵓⵊ, romanized: Hisham El Gerruj; born 14 September 1974) is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder for the 1500 metres and mile events, and the former world record holder in the 2000 metres. He is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to win a gold medal in both the 1500 m and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games. El Guerrouj is widely regarded as the greatest middle-distance runner in history and holds seven of the 10 fastest times ever run in the 1500 m and in the mile. El Guerrouj won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003 World Athletics Championships. He won the World Athlete of the Year awards three times, and in November 2014, was inducted into the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Hall of Fame.

4. Nawal El Moutawakel (1962 - )

With an HPI of 47.82, Nawal El Moutawakel is the 4th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Nawal El Moutawakel (Amazigh: ⵏⴰⵡⴰⵍ ⵍⵎⵓⵜⴰⵡⴰⵇⵇⵍ ; Arabic: نوال المتوكل; born 15 April 1962) is a Moroccan former hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and was the first Moroccan to win an Olympic gold. In 2007, El Moutawakel was named the Minister of Sports in the upcoming cabinet of Morocco.

5. Brahim Boutayeb (1967 - )

With an HPI of 40.90, Brahim Boutayeb is the 5th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Moulay Brahim Boutayeb (Arabic: مولاي ابراهيم بوطيب; born 15 August 1967) is a retired Moroccan track and field athlete. He was the winner of the 10,000 m race at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

6. Nezha Bidouane (1969 - )

With an HPI of 40.34, Nezha Bidouane is the 6th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Nezha Bidouane (Arabic: نزهة بدوان; born on 18 September 1969 in Rabat) is a retired Moroccan track and field hurdler who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. A two-time World champion, she won the 400 m hurdles gold medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athens and the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. In 1999, she won the silver medal at the World Championships in an African record time of 52.90 seconds. In 2000, she won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games. Bidouane oversees the annual Women's Race to Victory 8K road race in Rabat.

7. Jaouad Gharib (1972 - )

With an HPI of 38.27, Jaouad Gharib is the 7th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Jaouad Gharib (Arabic: جواد غريب, born 22 May 1972 in Khenifra) is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. Winner of the 2003 World Championships and 2005 World Championships over the distance, he is also notable because he only began running seriously at the age of twenty-two. His 2005 retention made him the second successive world championship marathon champion, after Abel Antón. He was the silver medallist in the marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

8. Salah Hissou (1972 - )

With an HPI of 35.62, Salah Hissou is the 8th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Salaheddine Hissou (Arabic: صلاح حيسو) (born January 16, 1972) is a long-distance runner from Morocco, who won the gold medal over 5000 metres at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville. With 26:38.08 he also set a world record over 10,000 metres in Brussels in 1996 and won a bronze medal over 10,000 m at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Hissou was born in Ait Taghia, Kasba Tadla.

9. Khalid Boulami (1969 - )

With an HPI of 34.80, Khalid Boulami is the 9th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Khalid Boulami (born Safi, Morocco, August 7, 1969) is a Moroccan long distance runner who won a bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. At the World Championships, he won two silver medals in the 5000 metres in 1995 and 1997. He is the older brother of Brahim Boulami.

10. Mohammed Mourhit (1970 - )

With an HPI of 34.74, Mohammed Mourhit is the 10th most famous Moroccan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mohammed Mourhit (Arabic: محمد مُرحيت; born 10 October 1970 in Khouribga, Morocco) is a Belgian top cross country, middle and long-distance runner who holds one European record, in the 3000 m. He is also a former European 10000 m record holder. He won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in the 5000 metres and a silver medal at the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 3000 metres behind Hicham El Guerrouj. Mourhit was also a two-time winner of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in the long course in 2000 and 2001. He also won the Lisbon Half Marathon 1997. He earned the Belgian citizenship in 1997 by marriage. He competed in Lotto Cross Cup cross country meetings and won the domestic series in 1996–97 and 1997–98. He was suspended for the use of EPO in 2002. He returned to competition in 2004, after seeing his ban reduced, and qualified for the World Championships in Helsinki 2005. He holds the fastest non-winning time for the 3000 metres. In Monaco on 18 August 2000, he ran 7:26.62, coming second to Ali Saïdi-Sief. No other man has broken 7:27 and come second.