Elarbi Khattabi ( ar, العربي خطابي; born 16 May 1976) is a Moroccan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who specializes in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

and

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. He was born in

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

. He is a world road relay champion with Moroccan team in Litochoro, Greece 1994. His achievements in the 3000 metres steeplechase on the global level are a tenth place at the 1992 Olympic Games, seventh place at the 1993 World Championships and fifth place at the 1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final, before he competed at the 1995 World Championships. He then finished eleventh at the 1995 Grand Prix Final, the 1997 World Championships and the 1999 World Championships. He then finished eighth at the 1999 Grand Prix Final, and competed at the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

and the 2001 World Championships without reaching the final. On the regional level he won the silver medal at the 1994 Jeux de la Francophonie and the gold medal at the

2001 Jeux de la Francophonie The 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie, also known as ''IVes Jeux de la Francophonie'', (French language, French for ''Francophone Games'') were held in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada from July 14–24, 2001. Events Sports Cultural Me ...

. With 8:16.63 minutes in 2001 he set a new championship record. He also finished fifth 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 ( ...

and fourth at the 2002 African Championships. His personal best times were 7.43.06 minutes in the

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 ...

, achieved in July 1998 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

; 8.09.03 minutes in the 3000 metres steeplechase, achieved in July 1999 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

; and 13.18.92 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in June 1995 in Saint-Denis. At the World Cross Country Championships he recorded many top placements. He finished fourteenth in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, eleventh in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, sixteenth in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, eleventh in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

and 27th in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. He won silver medals with the Moroccan team in the team competitions of 1994, 1995 and 1997, and bronze team medals in 1998 and 2002. The team silver in 1994 was the first team medal claimed by Morocco in this event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khattabi, Elarbi 1967 births Living people Sportspeople from Casablanca Moroccan male long-distance runners Moroccan male steeplechase runners Moroccan male cross country runners Olympic athletes for Morocco Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Morocco Athletes (track and field) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games competitors for Morocco 20th-century Moroccan people 21st-century Moroccan people