Morocco has won a total of 33 medals, 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze — over the 19 previous editions of the World Athletics Championships.
Since the inaugural edition in 1983 in Helsinki, Morocco has missed the podium only four times: in Stuttgart (1993), Berlin (2009), Daegu (2011), and Moscow (2013).
The 1999 edition in Seville remains Morocco’s most prolific, with five medals: two gold (Hicham El Guerrouj in the 1500m and Salah Hissou in the 5000m), two silver (Nezha Bidouane in the 400m hurdles and Zahra Ouaaziz in the 5000m), and one bronze (Ali Ezzine in the 3000m steeplechase). Thanks to this unprecedented achievement, Morocco ranked 5th in the medal table at the 1999 World Championships.
Morocco particularly shone at the 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003 editions, winning two gold medals in each. In 1987, 2005, and 2022, Said Aouita (5000m), Jaouad Gharib (Marathon), and Soufiane El Bakkali (3000m steeplechase) also claimed gold.
World and Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj is Morocco’s most decorated athlete at the World Championships, with six medals: four gold in the 1500m and two silver (1500m and 5000m).
Soufiane El Bakkali, double world champion in the 3000m steeplechase, is now Morocco’s second most decorated athlete, with four medals (two gold, one silver, and one bronze). He surpassed another Moroccan athletics legend, Nezha Bidouane, who earned two gold medals in the 400m hurdles in Athens (1997) and Edmonton (2001), along with a silver in Seville (1999).
Moroccan champion Said Aouita made history in 1983 as the first Arab athlete to win a medal at the World Championships, taking bronze in the 1500m. Hicham El Guerrouj later carried the torch, cementing his status as one of the greatest athletes in history in the same event, collecting four world titles between 1997 and 2003. He also claimed two Olympic gold medals in Athens 2004 (1500m and 5000m), elevating Morocco to the ranks of the world’s leading athletics nations.
Furthermore, Morocco will be represented by 20 athletes (14 men and 6 women) at the 20th World Championships in Athletics, scheduled from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo. Double world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, competing in the 3000m steeplechase, will aim for a third world title.
Morocco’s record at previous World Athletics Championships:
1st edition (Helsinki 1983):
Said Aouita: bronze in 1500m.
2nd edition (Rome 1987):
Said Aouita: gold in 5000m.
3rd edition (Tokyo 1991):
Brahim Boutayeb: bronze in 5000m.
Khalid Sekkah: bronze in 10,000m.
4th edition (Stuttgart 1993): None.
5th edition (Gothenburg 1995):
Hicham El Guerrouj: silver in 1500m.
Khalid Sekkah: silver in 10,000m.
Khalid Boulami: silver in 5000m.
Zahra Ouaaziz: bronze in 5000m.
6th edition (Athens 1997):
Hicham El Guerrouj: gold in 1500m.
Nezha Bidouane: gold in 400m hurdles.
Khalid Boulami: silver in 5000m.
Salah Hissou: bronze in 10,000m.
7th edition (Seville 1999):
Hicham El Guerrouj: gold in 1500m.
Salah Hissou: gold in 5000m.
Nezha Bidouane: silver in 400m hurdles.
Zahra Ouaaziz: silver in 5000m.
Ali Ezzine: bronze in 3000m steeplechase.
8th edition (Edmonton 2001):
Nezha Bidouane: gold in 400m hurdles.
Hicham El Guerrouj: gold in 1500m.
Ali Ezzine: silver in 3000m steeplechase.
9th edition (Paris 2003):
Jaouad Gharib: gold in Marathon.
Hicham El Guerrouj: gold in 1500m.
Hicham El Guerrouj: silver in 5000m.
10th edition (Helsinki 2005):
Jaouad Gharib: gold in Marathon.
Hasna Benhassi: silver in 800m.
Adil Kaouch: silver in 1500m.
11th edition (Osaka 2007):
Hasna Benhassi: silver in 800m.
12th edition (Berlin 2009): None.
13th edition (Daegu 2011): None.
14th edition (Moscow 2013): None.
15th edition (Beijing 2015):
Abdelaati Iguider: bronze in 1500m.
16th edition (London 2017):
Soufiane El Bakkali: silver in 3000m steeplechase.
17th edition (Doha 2019):
Soufiane El Bakkali: bronze in 3000m steeplechase.
18th edition (Eugene 2022):
Soufiane El Bakkali: gold in 3000m steeplechase.
19th edition (Budapest 2023):
Soufiane El Bakkali: gold in 3000m steeplechase.
Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi: bronze in women’s Marathon.
