Mehdi Baala
Encyclopedia
Mehdi Baala (born August 17, 1978 in Strasbourg
) is a French
middle-distance athlete competing mainly at 1500 metres
. Baala has won numerous major medals, including two European titles. Baala is considered to be the best French middle-distance runner of all time. He holds four French outdoor records (800m: 1.43.15, 1000m: 2.13.96, 1500m: 3.28.98 and 2000m: 4.53.12) and three French indoor records. However, he has not won a gold medal in Olympic Games
or in IAAF World Championships in Athletics
to date. He won silver at the 2003 World Championships
in the 1500 meters. At Osaka in 2005, he finished first in his heat but was disqualified at the semi-finals for causing the fall of two other athletes.
Baala finished fourth at 1500 metres in the 2000 Olympics. In 2008, at Beijing, Baala was awarded the bronze medal.
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
middle-distance athlete competing mainly at 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
. Baala has won numerous major medals, including two European titles. Baala is considered to be the best French middle-distance runner of all time. He holds four French outdoor records (800m: 1.43.15, 1000m: 2.13.96, 1500m: 3.28.98 and 2000m: 4.53.12) and three French indoor records. However, he has not won a gold medal in Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
or in IAAF World Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
to date. He won silver at the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
in the 1500 meters. At Osaka in 2005, he finished first in his heat but was disqualified at the semi-finals for causing the fall of two other athletes.
Baala finished fourth at 1500 metres in the 2000 Olympics. In 2008, at Beijing, Baala was awarded the bronze medal.
Achievements
- 2009 World Championships in Athletics2009 World Championships in AthleticsThe 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
- seventh place - 2008 Olympic Games - fourth place (later upgraded to Bronze, after Gold medal winner tested positive for doping)
- 2007 World Championships in Athletics2007 World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
- disqualified semi finals - 2006 European Championships in Athletics2006 European Championships in AthleticsThe 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...
- gold medal - 2005 World Championships in Athletics2005 World Championships in AthleticsThe 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
- sixth place (800 m) - 2003 World Championships in Athletics2003 World Championships in AthleticsThe 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
- silver medal - 2002 European Championships in Athletics2002 European Championships in AthleticsThe 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany.-Track:1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |2010 |...
- gold medal - 2001 World Championships in Athletics2001 World Championships in AthleticsThe 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
- 12th place - 2000 Olympic Games - fourth place
- 2000 European Indoor Athletics Championships2000 European Indoor Athletics ChampionshipsThe 26th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held from Friday, 25 February to Sunday, 27 February 2000 in Ghent, Belgium.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:-Participating nations:...
- bronze medal - 2008 Olympic Games - third place
- (results from 1500 m)