Asmae Leghzaoui ( ar, أسماء لغزاوي; born August 30, 1976) is a Moroccan

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

. She is a two-time Olympian for Morocco.

Biography

In 1999, Leghzaoui made a running breakthrough by improving her

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

personal best by a minute and breaking the

World record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for the 10K road race. She was seventh in the women's short race at the 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, leading the Moroccans to the bronze medal in the team competition. On the track, she ran in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the

1999 World Championships in Athletics The 7th World Championships in Athletics, a World Athletic Championships event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and Augu ...

, but failed to finish the race. In 2000, she won the

Cinque Mulini The Cinque Mulini is an annual cross country running race in San Vittore Olona, Italy. First held in 1933, the course is unusual in that it revolves around a number of water mills along Olona river, which lend the competition its name – meaning ' ...

cross country meet and took the 5000 m track title at the 2000 African Championships in Athletics later that year. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and a silver in the 5000 m at the

2001 Mediterranean Games The XIV Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 2001), commonly known as the 2001 Mediterranean Games, were the 14th Mediterranean Games held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 2-15 September 2001, where 2,991 athletes ( ...

. She represented Morocco at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and came seventh in the 10,000 m final. She won the

New York Mini 10K The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is an annual 10-kilometer road running competition for women that takes place in Central Park, New York City, in the United States. The race has been organised by New York Road Runners since 1972. The competition ...

in 2002, setting a course record time. She failed a

drug test A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen, for example urine, hair, blood, breath, sweat, or oral fluid/saliva—to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites. Major applications of drug ...

for EPO in 2003, but after a two-year ban she has returned to the international road race circuit. Leghzaoui had a string of road race wins in the United States in May 2005, taking titles at the

Lilac Bloomsday Run The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in the northwest United States, held on the first Sunday of May since 1977 in The course length is 12 km (7.456 mi). The run has had over 38,000 participants every ...

, Bay to Breakers and

Freihofer's Run for Women Freihofer's Run for Women is an annual five-kilometer road running competition for women that is usually held in late May or early June in Albany, New York, United States. First held in 1979, the race has grown into a sizable event that holds IAA ...

competitions. She secured both 5000 m and 10,000 m silver medals for Morocco at the 2005 Mediterranean Games. In 2007, she finished sixteenth at the 2007 World Championships. She ran at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

but failed to finish in the 10,000 m race. She had back-to-back wins at the

National Capital Marathon The Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is an annual weekend of road running events held the last weekend of May in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The two-day running event includes sev ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

from 2008 to 2009. She won the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

competition at the 2011

Marrakesh Marathon The Marrakech Marathon is an annual marathon held in Marrakech, Morocco. Roughly 5000 runners turn out for the event annually. At the inaugural edition of the race in 1987 French runner Jacques Boxberger won the men's race while the women's race ...

, completing the race in a competition record time of 1:10:47.Benchrif, Mohammed (2011-01-31)
Gezahn cruises to Marrakech Marathon title

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.

References

External links

Picture of Asmae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leghzaoui, Asmae 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Fez, Morocco Moroccan female long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Morocco Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Morocco Doping cases in athletics Moroccan sportspeople in doping cases Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Morocco Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Morocco Athletes (track and field) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2005 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics

Biography

See also

References

External links