Abdellah Falil
Encyclopedia
Abdellah Falil is a Moroccan
professional long-distance runner. He was selected for the national Olympic squad
for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished 16th in the 10,000 metres final.
He was a cross country runner earlier in his career and represented his country at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. His main focus became road running
and he began to compete over the shorter road distances in 2006. At the 2006 Lille Half Marathon
, he was runner-up behind Joseph Maregu by one second, setting a personal best run of 1:01:21.AIMS Statistics 2006. AIMS
(2006). Retrieved on 2010-10-18. Falil took part in the Paris Half Marathon
in March 2007 and he finished fourth with an improved time of 1:00:43, while Maregu again took the top honours. He won the Corrida de Langueux
that year with a course record time of 27:56, which was also a Moroccan record
for the 10K distance.
Returning to the grass circuits, he formed part of the Moroccan team for the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and placed 28th overall, leading a national team including Jamel Chatbi
and Anis Selmouni
to fifth place in the rankings. In 2008 he made his debut over the marathon
distance, running in the Enschede Marathon
in the Netherlands. He managed to finish in seventh place and set a first time mark of 2:13:37.27 APRIL 2008: ENSCHEDE MARATHON, NETHERLANDS. AIMS
(2008). Retrieved on 2010-10-18. Among his other road races, he was seventh in the 20 van Alphen race, taking seventh place and setting a 20 km personal best of 57:57 minutes. He ran a 10,000 m best of 27:40.58 in Casablanca
in June before going on to compete in the 2008 Olympic final in the event.
His major competition in 2009 was the Turin Marathon
. Improving upon his previous best with a run of 2:12:37, he finished the race in fourth place as Kenyan Benson Barus
won the title. He started his 2010 road running season at the Marrakech Half Marathon in January and he managed to finish as runner-up to Azmeraw Bekele
. Running the third marathon of his career, he demonstrated a significant improvement with a run of 2:09:24 at the Gyeongju International Marathon
, reducing his personal best in excess of three minutes to take a clear second place after Dejene Yirdawe.
He ran his following race in South Korea and took second place at the Daegu Marathon
, setting a career best time of 2:08:18 hours in the process.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
professional long-distance runner. He was selected for the national Olympic squad
Morocco at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Morocco competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008.-Medalists:-Archery:Morocco will send an archer to the Olympics for the first time...
for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished 16th in the 10,000 metres final.
He was a cross country runner earlier in his career and represented his country at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
. His main focus became road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
and he began to compete over the shorter road distances in 2006. At the 2006 Lille Half Marathon
Lille Half Marathon
The Lille Métropole Half Marathon is an annual half marathon foot race which takes place in Lille, France in early September. First organised by the Association de Promotion des Événements Lillois in 1986, the race began as a marathon event before switching to the shorter distance in 1996...
, he was runner-up behind Joseph Maregu by one second, setting a personal best run of 1:01:21.AIMS Statistics 2006. AIMS
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of long-distance running races. Originally founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors, its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races...
(2006). Retrieved on 2010-10-18. Falil took part in the Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France. It currently holds IAAF Bronze Label status....
in March 2007 and he finished fourth with an improved time of 1:00:43, while Maregu again took the top honours. He won the Corrida de Langueux
Corrida de Langueux
The Corrida de Langueux is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition which is held in Langueux, Brittany, France every June. The competition is organised by the Union Athlétique Langueux. The elite 10K races for men and women have IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status...
that year with a course record time of 27:56, which was also a Moroccan record
Moroccan records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Morocco maintained by Moroccan Royal Athletics Federation: Fédération Royale Marocaine d’Athlétisme .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distance# = not officially ratified...
for the 10K distance.
Returning to the grass circuits, he formed part of the Moroccan team for the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
and placed 28th overall, leading a national team including Jamel Chatbi
Jamel Chatbi
Jamel Chatbi is a Moroccan athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase.Based in Northern Italy, Chatbi began competing in 2006 and finished third in the Tutta Dritta 10km that year...
and Anis Selmouni
Anis Selmouni
Anis Selmouni is a Moroccan middle distance runner.At the 2007 World Cross Country Championships he finished thirteenth in the senior race, while the Moroccan team of which he was a part won the silver medal in the team competition....
to fifth place in the rankings. In 2008 he made his debut over the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance, running in the Enschede Marathon
Enschede Marathon
The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon . It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. The race crosses the German border through the city of Gronau...
in the Netherlands. He managed to finish in seventh place and set a first time mark of 2:13:37.27 APRIL 2008: ENSCHEDE MARATHON, NETHERLANDS. AIMS
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of long-distance running races. Originally founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors, its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races...
(2008). Retrieved on 2010-10-18. Among his other road races, he was seventh in the 20 van Alphen race, taking seventh place and setting a 20 km personal best of 57:57 minutes. He ran a 10,000 m best of 27:40.58 in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
in June before going on to compete in the 2008 Olympic final in the event.
His major competition in 2009 was the Turin Marathon
Turin Marathon
The Turin Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in Turin, Italy in November. The first edition of the modern race was held in 1987, although other marathon competitions have been held in the city prior to this, including sporadic races in the 1970s and early 1980s, and the earliest...
. Improving upon his previous best with a run of 2:12:37, he finished the race in fourth place as Kenyan Benson Barus
Benson Barus
Benson Kipchumba Barus is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon and half marathon competitions. He has a personal best of 2:07:07 hours for the distance, set at the 2011 Prague Marathon, which he won. He also won the 2009 Turin Marathon and has placed top three in Rome, Beijing...
won the title. He started his 2010 road running season at the Marrakech Half Marathon in January and he managed to finish as runner-up to Azmeraw Bekele
Azmeraw Bekele
Azmeraw Bekele Molalign is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions....
. Running the third marathon of his career, he demonstrated a significant improvement with a run of 2:09:24 at the Gyeongju International Marathon
Gyeongju International Marathon
The Gyeongju International Marathon is an annual road running event over the marathon distance which takes place in mid-October in Gyeongju, South Korea. It gained IAAF Silver Label Road Race status in 2010....
, reducing his personal best in excess of three minutes to take a clear second place after Dejene Yirdawe.
He ran his following race in South Korea and took second place at the Daegu Marathon
Daegu Marathon
The Daegu International Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in April in Daegu, South Korea. The day's events also feature a 5K event and a 10K event, as well as the full course marathon ....
, setting a career best time of 2:08:18 hours in the process.