Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born 15 March 1985) is a French professional

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 ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n descent who mainly competes 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 ...

. He has won medals in major international competitions such as the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

and European Indoor Championships. Mekhissi-Benabbad has gained notoriety for pushing the event's mascot after winning the 3000 meter steeplechase finals at the 2010 and 2012 European Championships.

Running career

2004-2007

Mekhissi-Benabbad made his first appearances as a junior athlete in 2004, running at the

2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20/21, 2004. The races were held at the Ossegem Park in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', and for the IAAF. ...

, where he was 61st in the junior race, and at the 2004 World Junior Championships where he was eliminated in the heats of the 3000 m steeplechase. He ran in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

event at the 2006 European Cup, where he finished eighth. Mekhissi-Benabbad represented

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 ...

at the

2006 IAAF World Cup The 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athe ...

, but only managed to finish eighth in the 1500 m event. Mekhissi-Benabbad won the 3000 metres steeplechase

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the

2007 European Athletics U23 Championships The 6th European Athletics U23 Championships was held between 12 and 15 July 2007 in the Gyulai István Athletic Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary. Results Complete results and medal winners were published. Men Women †: In discus ...

. He competed in his first major senior event later that year – the 2007 World Championships - where he was eliminated in the heats of the 3000 metres steeplechase competition.

2008

Mekhissi-Benabbad made significant progress in 2008, knocking seconds off his personal best at the

2008 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 Nati ...

to win the Olympic

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in a time of 8:10.49, only 15 hundredths of a second behind the gold medallist

Brimin Kipruto Brimin Kipruto (born 31 July 1985) is a Kenyan professional middle distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was born in Korkitony, Keiyo District. He holds a personal best of 7:53.64 minutes which is the ...

. He became the first non-Kenyan in 24 years to finish first or second in the Olympic 3000 metres steeplechase event. Coincidentally, the last non-Kenyan to do so was a Frenchman— Joseph Mahmoud—who won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Mekhissi-Benabbad improved further at the 2008

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich ( en, World Class Zurich) is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF G ...

meeting, finishing behind

Paul Kipsiele Koech Paul Kipsiele Koech (born 10 November 1981) is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He won the 2004 Olympic bronze medal in this event. His personal best of 7:54.31 minutes is the third fastest of all time. He was b ...

in second place in a personal best time of 8:08.95, making him the fourth fastest 3000 metres steeplechaser that year.

2009

Mekhissi-Benabbad opened the 2009 season with an appearance 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 ...

event at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, where he registered a personal best of 7:53.50. Another personal best came in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the

FBK Games The FBK Games is an annual track and field event at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, Netherlands as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1981. Its name honours Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold med ...

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. Popu ...

, again behind

, as he took second place in 8:06:98. Mekhissi-Benabbad secured a prominent

2009 IAAF Golden League The 2009 Golden League is the 12th edition of the IAAF's annual series of six athletics meets, held across Europe, with athletes having the chance to win the Golden League Jackpot of $1 million. Programme Results Men Women Reference ...

race victory at the

Meeting Areva Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamon ...

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 ...

with a time of 8:13.23. He was selected to represent France at the 2009 World Championships in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where he was seen as a possible medallist in the 3000 metres steeplechase. But he failed to complete his heat in that event when he was forced to step off the track injured with just over a lap to go.

2010

Mekhissi-Benabbad took part in the 2010 World Indoor Championships, his first major indoor competition, where he reached the final of the 1500 m and finished in eighth position with a time of 3:45.22. During the outdoor season of 2010, he scored a steeplechase win in 8:08.82 over

Ezekiel Kemboi Ezekiel Kemboi Cheboi (born 25 May 1982) is a Kenyan professional athlete, winner of the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2009 World Championships, the 2011 World Championships, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2013 W ...

and

Richard Mateelong Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong (born 14 October 1983) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metre steeplechase. He won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and he has two World Champ ...

at the

Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat The Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat is an annual track and field competition at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 2008. Its name ...

. Competing in the

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

leg of the French Alma Athlé Tour on 30 June 2010, he beat

Bouabdellah Tahri Bouabdallah "Bob" Tahri (born 20 December 1978) is a retired middle-distance and long-distance French runner, who was born in Metz. He competed mainly in the 3000 m steeplechase distance. He also competes in the 2000 m steeplechase, 1500 m, mi ...

's newly established world record time of 5:13.47 (set only 5 days earlier on 25 June 2010) in the 2000 m outdoor steeplechase. Mekhissi-Benabbad's new world record time of 5:10.68 in that 2000 m outdoor steeplechase race was almost 4 seconds faster than the world record time of 5:14.43 set on 21 Aug 1990 by

Julius Kariuki Julius Kariuki (born June 12, 1961) is the winner of the 3,000 m steeplechase at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born in Nyahururu, Kenya, Kariuki's athletic career started slowly. He made his international debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics, wh ...

, the Kenyan who would hold the 2000 m outdoor steeplechase world record for almost 20 years until it was broken by Tahri.

2012

Mekhissi-Benabbad won his second consecutive 3000 metres steeplechase Olympic silver medal at the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

, with 200 metres in the race remaining,

was in the lead, followed by Abel Kiprop Mutai in second place,

Roba Gari Roba Gari ( Amharic: ሮባ ጋር; born 12 April 1982) is an Ethiopian runner, who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He finished tenth at the 2007 World Championships, in his major international debut. His personal best ...

in third place and Mekhissi-Benabbad in fourth place. Mekhissi-Benabbad then swept past both Gari and Mutai to finish second behind Kemboi. "I want to congratulate Ezekiel Kemboi because he won and it is not by chance because he won in 2004. ... He is stronger than me, but I do hope one day I can beat him," Mekhissi-Benabbad said right after the race. Right after the race, Kemboi did the victory dance he had become known for. He and Mekhissi-Benabbad exchanged jerseys and the diminutive Kemboi leaped into the much larger Mekhissi-Benabbad's arms.

2013

On 6 July 2013, Mekhissi-Benabbad set a new 3000 metres steeplechase European outdoor record of 8:00.09 in the 3000 metres steeplechase race at the

held in the

Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...

. He beat the previous European outdoor record of 8:01.18 set in

at the 2009 World Championships by his compatriot

. Mekhissi-Benabbad finished second in that Meeting Areva 3000 metres steeplechase race, which was won by

in the world's best time of the year (7:59.03). Mekhissi-Benabbad won his second consecutive 3000 metres steeplechase

bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. With about 300 metres to go in the

, Mekhissi-Benabbad passed

, then

and became jointly in the lead with

Conseslus Kipruto Conseslus Kipruto (born 8 December 1994) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was the 2016 Rio Olympic champion in the event. At the World Athletics Championships, Kipruto won gold medals in 20 ...

. Just after clearing the third-last hurdle in the final bend, Kemboi saw his chance and surged forward to pass both Mekhissi-Benabbad and Kipruto. From then on, Kemboi never relinquished his lead. Kipruto overtook Mekhissi-Benabbad at the start of the final straight and eventually finished second behind Kemboi. Right after the race, Mekhissi-Benabbad admitted that he was finding it hard to cope with the pressure. "In the French team I am under a lot of stress and pressure, but I have to deal with it the best I can. ... I had to settle for bronze again but it is never easy to win one. I am on the podium and that is what counts."

2014

At the

2014 European Athletics Championships The 2014 European Athletics Championships was held in Zürich, Switzerland, between 12 and 17 August 2014. It was the first time that Switzerland had hosted the European Athletics Championships since 1954. Great Britain headed the medal table, w ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, Mekhissi-Benabbad was disqualified after finishing first in the final of 3000m steeplechase. The action was taken after he removed his shirt on the home-straight of the final lap in an act of celebration, and the Spanish team lodged an official protest for "unsporting behaviour". The 3000m steeplechase gold medal was awarded to fellow French athlete Yoann Kowal, who had finished second in that race. Mekhissi-Benabbad would win the 1500m title three days later.

2015

In early April 2015, Mekhissi-Benabbad underwent an

operation Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

on his right foot, which had been causing him pain, in a hospital in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. As he needed several months to recover from his operation, he was forced to miss the 2015 summer athletics season, including the 2015 World Championships in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

2016

Mekhissi-Benabbad won the bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympic 3000m steeplechase final. Having crossed the line in fourth place, he controversially filed a complaint against

who had finished third. Kemboi was judged to have committed a lane violation, resulting in his disqualification.

Mascot abuse incidents

On 1 July 2012, the Finnish newspaper Karjalainen reported an incident involving Mekhissi-Benabbad at the 2012 European Championships in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. After winning the 3000 meter steeplechase final, Mekhissi-Benabbad walked over to the championship's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

“Appy”, which was being worn by a 14-year-old girl, smacked a gift bag out of her hands and pushed her with both hands.Estejuoksun voittaja sikaili EM-kisoissa
(in Finnish).

Iltalehti ''Iltalehti'' (literally "Evening newspaper") is a tabloid newspaper published in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Iltalehti'' was established in 1980 as afternoon edition of newspaper ''Uusi Suomi''. Alma Media is the owner of ''Iltal ...

. (2012-07-01). Retrieved on 2012-07-01. He was not fined and did not apologize regarding the incident. That was not the first time that Mekhissi-Benabbad had abused a mascot. After having again won the 3000 meter steeplechase final at the 2010 European Championships in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Mekhissi-Benabbad asked a mascot to kneel in front of him before he pushed it to the ground.

Fight with Mehdi Baala

On 22 July 2011, immediately after the 1500m race of the

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

meeting of the

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

, Mekhissi-Benabbad and his fellow competitor and compatriot

Mehdi Baala Mehdi Baala ( ar, مهدي بعلة; born 17 August 1978 in Strasbourg) is a French, middle-distance runner competing mainly in the 1500 metres event. Baala has won several major international championships medals in the 1500 metres event – ...

traded blows on the track. The French Athletics Federation handed Mekhissi-Benabbad and Baala a suspension of 10 months each—5 months suspended—from all European Athletics and IAAF track meets. Both were each fined 1500 euros and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service. Mekhissi-Benabbad and Baala were nevertheless cleared to take part in the upcoming 2011 World Championships.French runners trade blows on track
Eurosport.com 22 July 2011

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.

Results in international competitions

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mekhissi-Benabbad, Mahiedine 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Reims French male middle-distance runners French male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes of France Olympic silver medalists for France Olympic bronze medalists for France Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships medalists European Athletics Championships medalists French sportspeople of Algerian descent Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic male steeplechase runners European Championships (multi-sport event) gold medalists European Athletics Championships winners 20th-century French people 21st-century French people