Premier International athletics in itself has a certain amount of pressure put on the athlete, to perform very well in championships, but for Hassiba Boulmerka (Born 18-Jul-1968, Constantine, Algeria), the first African woman to achieve a World Championship title, in 1991 (1500m), and the first Algerian to win an Olympic athletics Gold medal, in 1992, it was frightening, with immense pressure from groups of Islamists, who said she should not run showing her bare legs, and, in fact, prior to the Olympics she even had death threats against her performing!
Despite that, she pointed out to me when we talked in London, “My running gives me a lot of opportunity
and encourages a lot of democratic women, but it is normal for some people to praise me and for some to dislike what I do, but that is normal in sport because my image is a contradiction to some but I do it for Algeria. It is on my vest and in my head.” After she retired from competing in 1997 she still was highly thought of as she was elected to the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee.
Here are just some of the Highlights in her athletics career.
For the BMC, I would like to mention that her time for the mile of 4:20.99 as an African record, set in Oslo in 1991, lasted 17 years till, Gelete Burika of Ethiopia ran 4:18.23 in 2008! (Hassiba’s fastest 1500m was 3:55.30 in 1992). Over 800m Hassiba Boulmerka’s fastest was 1:58.72 in 1991, when winning the Mediterranean Games 800 in Athens. She also won two African Championships 800’s 1988/89. Her two World Championship victories were over 1500 in 1991 and 1995. Perhaps her best times for 800 & 1500 did indicate the latter was her best distance.
When did it all start for Hassiba Boulmerka?
“When I was 11, when my PE teacher timed me on a short run. It was a surprise for him as it was for me to be able to run fast. He thought his watch was wrong. I asked another teacher to check me out. I had to run again; and again, they were surprised! I was only running in ordinary shoes and from there I went to school and regional competitions. We did lots of sports at school.
Things progressed for her, and she became more interested in athletics as a sport to do. “In the winter people generally do cross-country or football. I went to the Arabian Championships in Iraq and won my event. That was very good for me and gave me the confidence to train properly. I stayed with my teacher for six years but he was not a professional coach. After that I changed my coach and town.”
Her first high-level competition was the Olympic 1500 in Seoul, where she managed to reach the semi-final and ran her best time then of 4:08.33 in 1988.
Hassiba declared, “I had not got the experience or been molded into a world-class runner at the time but it was very good experience for me.”
“I sat down with my coach Ammar Bouras to talk about what to do. We decided I would work very hard in all areas of my training to get results after two years of solid work. We set out more optimistically to aim for a gold medal in Barcelona. You can’t win gold unless you work extremely hard, making all the sacrifices possible. My objective was very clear as I wanted to win for my town, for Algeria and for my excellent coach. Straight after Seoul that was my objective.” Hassiba became 1500m World Champion in Tokyo in 1991, in 4:02.21. She then spent a lot of time training in Algeria and did some training with Azzdine Braham, the bronze medalist in the World 3000 steeplechase. Hassiba’s training was too strong for the other Algerian women. She was not interested in making a lot of money; only achieving the gold medal in Barcelona.
In Barcelona she won her-semi-final in 4:03.91, but it was the Russian Lydmila Rogachova who set the pace with a 60.7 first 400. It was at 1300, Lydmila led but just behind, ahead of the rest was Hasssiba, with her distinctive, Algerian green vest and shorts, and her black hair shining. She decided to strike, overtook Lydmilaand and ran hard all the way to the finish, winning by nearly 10m or so, with a time of 3:55.30, Rogecheva was next in 3:56.01 and then came Qu Yunxia of China in 3:57.08. That was before Yuxia broke the World record. The current one, at the time was 3:52.47.
Hassiba said afterwards, “That day I felt I had a World record in me. I took the decision – to win the gold medal. All that sacrifice and determination to bring out the best in me. I still cry with happiness like I did in the stadium when I see it was all worthwhile.
Often in life there is still a price to pay in surprising ways as Hassiba recalled, “When I got home my father was dangerously ill in hospital with heart trouble and my mother had been running around for him. So he didn’t see the race.”
Hassibas’ training:- “In January and February, I run 100 to 130k’s a week. In Spring I concentrate on endurance, and do fartlek on the road and beach (I trained last in Cuba where the climate is good, and I could enjoy training in a very good climate for several hours a day with a lot of other athletes).
“In late Spring April/May track work 1500x400x1500. May/June specific work 200, 400, 800 but faster.
On the 17th of August 1994, in Zurich, she won a Mile in 4:22,09, with Sonia O’Sillivan 2nd in 4:23.04. For me, Zurich is important as it is on a par with World Championships.”
Hassiba has four sisters and two brothers; surprisingly, none of them take part as athletes but are very proud of their sister.
