Ismaïl Sghyr ( ar, اسماعيل صغير; born March 16, 1972, in

Taroudannt Taroudant (; ar, تارودانت, Latn, ar, tārūdānt, ) is a city in the Sous Valley in south western Morocco. It is situated east of Agadir on the road to Ouarzazate and the Sahara desert and south of Marrakesh. The town is known as the "Gr ...

) is a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

- 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 ...

. He won a bronze medal at the over 3000 metres at the

1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 6th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from March 7 to March 9, 1997. It was the first athletic championships to introduce women's pole vault. There were a total numb ...

. In

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

he finished fourth at the World Championships the same year, as well as winning a bronze medal at the 2002 European Championships. Over 10,000 metres he won at the

1997 Mediterranean Games The XIII Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1997 Mediterranean Games, were the 13th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Bari, Italy, from 13 to 25 June 1997, where 2,956 athletes (2,166 men and 790 women) from 21 countries partici ...

. Sghyr formerly represented

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, but as many other Moroccan runners he switched nationality to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

External links

* * 1972 births Living people People from Taroudannt French male long-distance runners Moroccan male long-distance runners Olympic athletes for France Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for France World Athletics Championships athletes for Morocco European Athletics Championships medalists French sportspeople of Moroccan descent Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Morocco Athletes (track and field) at the 1997 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics {{Morocco-athletics-bio-stub