Hicham El Guerrouj: Olympics, Career & Net Worth

One of the greatest middle-distance runners, Hicham El Guerrouj, is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner.

Besides, he is also the current world record holder of the outdoor 1500 meters and 2000 meters events.

Moreover, at the Olympic games, he is the only man to win a gold medal in both the 1500 meters and 5000 meters since Paavo Numi.

Also, until 2019, he held the indoor world records for the 1500 meters.

Furthermore, he won the world championship in 1500 meters six times. Likewise, he won the World Athlete of the Year award thrice.

Hence, there is a good reason why he is considered one of the best athletes of all time.

To know more about the great athlete, read till the end.

Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts about the middle-distance runner, Hicham El Guerrouj:

Full Name	Hicham El Guerrouj
Profession	Athlete, Middle-Distance Runner
Net Worth	$10 million
Birth Date	September 14, 1974
Birth Place	Berkane, Morocco
Father’s Name	Not Available
Mother’s Name	Not Available
Gender	Male
Siblings	Seven
Nationality	Moroccan
Sexual Orientation	Straight
Education	Not Available
Age	[calculate_years datestring=”09/14/1974″] Years Old
Weight	58 kg (152 lb)
Height	5 ft 9 inch (176 cm)
Body Type	Athletic
Skin Color	Fair
Religion	Muslim
Zodiac Sign	Virgo
Birthstone	Sapphire
Month Flower	Asters
Life Path	Eight
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black
Marital Status	Married
Wife/Spouse	Najoua Lahbil
Children	One  Daughter
Team	1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships
Event	1500 meters, mile, 2000 meters, 5000 meters
Turned Pro	1994
Retired	2004
Coached by	Abdelkader Kada
Olympic Finals	1996 Atlanta 2000 Sydney 2004 Athens
World Finals	1995 Göteborg 1997 Athens 1999 Seville 2001 Edmonton 2003 Paris 1996 Atlanta 2000 Sydney 2004 Athens
Olympic Medals	1500 m (Gold) 5000 m (Gold)
Nickname	King of the Mile
Social Media	Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Active Years	2000 – 2004
Runner’s Merch	Shoes
Last Update	[current-month], [current-year]

Hicham El Guerrouj: Age, Height, and Weight

Currently, Hicham is [calculate_years datestring=”09/14/1974″] Years Old as he was born on September 14, 1974, in Berkane, Morocco.

Being a September born, his birthstone is Sapphire, and the flower is asters.

Also, his zodiac sign is Virgo, and similarly, his life path number is eight.

The middle-distance runner stands 5 feet 9 inches tall, i.e., 176 cm. Furthermore, he weighs around 58 kg, i.e., 152 lbs.

Hicham El Guerrouj: Famly and Early Life

Family

Hicham was one of the seven children of the family.

He has both brothers and sisters, but there are no details regarding their names and private life.

Despite being a famous athlete, there is no information about his parents either.

But it is known that his family used to own a small restaurant when he was younger.

He used to run a mile to get bread from the bakery and return in just eight minutes.

Also, his siblings used to cheer him and clap for him when he ran a mile and returned to the restaurant.

Early Life

Moreover, when he was younger, he used to play football in school.

Also, he was associated with the local football team and played as a goalkeeper.

But his mother asked him to stop playing football as it was getting hard for her to wash his muddy clothes every day, along with other house chores.

Thus, he started running instead. He also entered a cross country race at the age of 14 and came in second place.

Hicham El Guerrouj: Career

Beginning Stage

At the age of 18, Guerrouj entered the 1992 Junior World Championship in Seoul.

It was his first international triumph, and he became third in the 5000m race.

In the following year, he came in the second position at the World Junior Cross Country Championships.

In the 1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships, he was a member of the Moroccan team, which won the race in the world record time.

Furthermore, it was in the mid-1900s when Guerrouj rose to international fame.

Similarly, at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, the runner won second place in the 1500 meters to Noureddine Morceli when he was just 20. 

The runner was considered one of the favorites in the Olympics after setting a new personal best in the 1500 meters in Stockholm.

Atlanta Olympics

In 1996, Guerrouj competed in his first Olympic Games at Atlanta.

When he was running the 1500 meters final, he fell over 400m away from the finish line and, unfortunately, finished last in 12th place.

He was devastated as he was expected to challenge the three-time World Champion Noureddine Morceli.

A month later, the middle-distance runner became the first runner to defeat Noureddine Morceli in four years at the Grand Prix final in Milan.

Besides, he won the world titles four times in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003.

Hence, he became the only middle-distance runner to win the world titles four consecutive times in further years.

Moreover, at the start of the 1997 season, Hicham set the two world indoor records at the Sparkassen Cup, maintained for 22 years until Samuel Tefera beat it in 2019.

In the same year, a few weeks later, at the Indoor Flanders Meeting, he set a new indoor best in the mile run.

Also, in Berlin, he set a new world record in the 2000m at 4:44:79.

King of the Mile

Guerrouj successfully defended his 1500m title in the World Championship in 2001 and 2003 after finishing second place at the 2000 World Championship.  

Even though he had a poor start at the beginning of 2004, he managed to enter both 1500 and 5000 meters at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Again on August 24, Guerrouj won the gold medal defeating Bernard Lagat in the Olympic 1500m final.

Furthermore, the middle-distance runner also won the 5000m final in the Olympics.

In his long professional career, Guerrouj raced 86 finals in 1500m. Besides, he has won 83 races.

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Hicham El Guerrouj: Award and Achievements

He received the award for humanitarian effort from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1996.

Hicham was named IAAF World Athlete of the Year thrice in 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Moreover, he also won the IAAF Golden League Prizes as he remained unbeaten in more than 20 races. 

Hence, he became the first man to win the award in three consecutive years.

Furthermore, in 2002, he was named best athlete of the year by the athletics journal, Track and Field News.

Moreover, Guerrouj got elected as a member of the IAAF Athletes Committee in 2003.

Besides, he was honored with the “Cordon de Commandeur” by King Mohammed Vl of Morocco on September 7, 2004.

Likewise, he was also awarded the Prince of Asturias Awards in the same year.

Furthermore, the middle-distance runner also won the IAAF Hall of Fame in 2014.

Achievements

Guerrouj was the Goodwill Ambassador of the UNICEF after his retirement.

Also, from 2004 to 2012, he was a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission. 

Similarly, he is also an Ambassador for Peace and Sport, which is a Monaco-based International organization. 

Moreover, the runner is also a member of the club called “Champions for Peace.”

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Hicham El Guerrouj: Personal Life

Guerrouj married his wife Najoua Lahbil on September 23, 2003.

Najoua Lahbil was only 18 and a student at the University Al Akhwaine (Ifrane) when she married Hicham El Guerrouj.

The family got blessed with a baby daughter after Hicham won the 1500m World Championship.

The baby was born at a private hospital in Rabat’s Outskirts and was christened on June 4, 2004.

Because Hicham is a private person, he keeps his and his family’s life away from the public. Hence, not much is known about Hicham’s personal life.

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Hicham El Guerrouj: Net Worth and Income

Undoubtedly, Guerrouj is one of the best Moroccan athletes and runners out there.

The net worth of Hicham El Guerrouj is estimated to be over $10 million.

His primary source of income is running. Moreover, his extra income comes from advertising and his merch.

Besides, he is one of the wealthiest middle-distance runners. Despite being rich, he lives a very simple life.

Even though he owned a villa and a spacious apartment, he chose to live in a one-room apartment when he was training. Moreover, he used to drive a small Honda SUV.

Hence, he is a kind and simple person who doesn’t take wealth and fame for granted.

Hicham El Guerrouj: Social Media

The Moroccan middle-distance runner is active on various social media.

He usually posts his photos and shares other athletes’ photos, congratulating them on their win and supporting them.

Furthermore, he has a verified Instagram account with over 29.5k followers.

He has a verified Facebook account with over 135k followers. However, his Twitter account is not verified yet.

Although his Twitter is not verified, he still has over 12.3k followers.

Some Interesting Facts about Hicham El Guerrouj

• In Italy, in 1998, Guerrouj broke Noureddine Morceli’s world record in 1500m.
• Again in 1999, he broke another record of Noureddine Morceli.
• Also, in Brussels, Guerrouj was the second-fastest runner in 3000m.
• He is also the first person in 80 years to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in the same Olympics.
• He remains the only athlete to this date to have won a share of the jackpot of 50 kg of gold or $1 million. 
• Once, Guerrouj suffered from a back injury.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is the most excellent middle-distance runner of all time?

There is no doubt that Hicham El Guerrouj is the best middle-distance runner of all time.

How did Hicham El Gueerouj train?

Hicham El Guerrouj trained at 1650m altitude several times a year. Moreover, he used to spend almost three weeks at altitude during training.

What is the name of Hicham El Guerrouj’s daughter?

Despite being a popular public figure, nothing much is known about his family.

Similarly, his daughter was born in early 2000, yet her name hasn’t been made public.