Mehdi Baala ( ar, مهدي بعلة; born 17 August 1978 in Strasbourg) is a French,

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 ...

competing mainly 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 Athle ...

event. Baala has won several major international championships medals in the 1500 metres event – an

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 vari ...

bronze, a

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, ...

silver, two European Championships golds and a European Indoor Championships bronze. Moreover, he has won several medals in the 1500 metres event of the European Cup,

IAAF World Cup The IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field competition organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event was proposed by IAAF former President Primo Nebiolo and was first held in 1977 as ...

and the IAAF World Athletics Final. Baala is considered to be the best French middle-distance runner of all time. As of July 2013, he holds French national outdoor records for four distances (800m: 1.43.15, 1000m: 2.13.96, 1500m: 3.28.98 and 2000m: 4.53.12; all of these were set from 2002 to 2005) and French national indoor records for four distances (800m, 1000m, 1500m and the mile; all of these were set from 2003 to 2009). Baala won the silver medal at the 2003 World Championships in the 1500 metres event. At the 2007 World Championships in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

in 2007, he finished first in his 1500 metres semi-final heat but was disqualified for causing the fall of two other athletes. Baala finished fourth in the

final at the

2000 Olympics 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 ...

. At the 2008 Olympics, Baala won the bronze medal for the

event. He had initially finished in fourth place in the final once again, but the initial winner

Rashid Ramzi Rashid Ramzi ( ar, رشيد رمزي) (born July 17, 1980) is a Moroccan-Bahraini track and field athlete competing internationally for Bahrain in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. Ramzi was investigated by the IAAF after the 2008 Summer Olympics ...

was stripped of his gold medal when he was found guilty of doping and hence Baala was elevated to receive the bronze medal. 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, Baala and his fellow competitor and compatriot

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born 15 March 1985) is a French professional middle-distance runner of Algerian descent who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has won medals in major international competitions such as the Olympic Ga ...

traded blows on the track. The French Athletics Federation handed Baala and Mekhissi-Benabbad 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. Baala and Mekhissi-Benabbad were nevertheless cleared to take part in the upcoming 2011 World Championships

Results in international competitions

Note: Only the position and time in the final are indicated, unless otherwise stated; if the athlete did not qualify for the final, the overall position and time in the first round heats or semifinals are indicated.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baala, Medhi 1978 births Living people French male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of France Olympic bronze medalists for France French sportspeople of Algerian descent Sportspeople from Strasbourg World Athletics Championships medalists European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) 20th-century French people 21st-century French people