Hamid Ezzine is a Moroccan

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...

 long-distance runner

Long-distance track event

Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...

 who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He is currently under suspension for a doping-related offense.

He was born in Aït Ali as a younger brother of runner Ali Ezzine

Ali Ezzine

Ali Ezzine is a Moroccan athlete who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He won the bronze medal in this event at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia....

. He finished twelfth in the 5000 metres at the 2002 World Junior Championships

2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics

The 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2002 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica from July 16 to July 21, 2002.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...

, but then turned to the steeplechase. He finished fourth at the 2004 African Championships

2004 African Championships in Athletics

The 14th African Championships in Athletics were held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in July, 2004. Since African Championships is a biennial event, this edition was contested only a month before 2004 Summer Olympics. Thus some top athletes shunned the event...

, won the gold medal at the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie

Athletics at the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie

At the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie, the athletics events were held at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché in Niamey, Niger, from 11–16 December 2005. A total of 43 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 20 by female athletes. France sent the largest squad and topped the medal table with 19...

, finished fifth at the 2006 African Championships

2006 African Championships in Athletics

The 15th African Championships in Athletics were held in Mauritius between August 9 and August 13, 2006. The event was staged at Stade Germain Comarmond in Bambous, Black River district...

 and eleventh at the 2007 World Athletics Final

2007 IAAF World Athletics Final

The 5th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 22 and September 23, 2007.-Men:- Women :-External links:*...

. He also competed at the 2005 World Championships, the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final.

His personal best time in the steeplechase is 8:09.72 minutes, achieved in July 2007 in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

' Olympic Stadium

Olympic Stadium (Athens)

The Olympic Stadium "Spiros Louis" , is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. It is named after the first modern Olympic marathon race winner in 1896, Spiros Louis.-History:...

. Up until then he had improved steadily from 8:47.67 minutes in 2003 (August, 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...

) to 8:25.10 in 2004 (June, Rabat

Rabat

Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...

), 8:21.38 in 2005 (June, Rabat) and 8:19.37 in 2006 (June, Rabat). In late 2007 Ezzine was described in the official IAAF season reviews as one of that year's major beakthroughs statistically. His personal best in the 5000 metres is 14:00.6 minutes, achieved in June 2002 in Rabat.

Ezzine also finished 30th at the 2004 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 :...

, 41st at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships

2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 33rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2005 in Saint-Étienne and Saint-Galmier , France.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...

 and 21st at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships

2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners...

, all in the short race. This earned him a fifth place in the team competition of 2004 and a bronze medal in the team competition of 2006.

In 2009 he was found guilty of refusal to submit to doping control

Doping (sport)

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...

and tampering with a doping control. For this he received a two-year suspension from the sport, lasting from March 2009 to March 2011.