Hassiba boulmerka biography template

Algerian middle-distance runner

Hassiba Boulmerka (Arabic: حسيبة بولمرقة, born 10 July 1968) is a former Algerian middle distance athlete. While under threat of death from fanatics, she won Algeria's first Olympic gold medal.

Career

Born in Constantine in northeastern Algeria, Boulmerka started running seriously at the age of ten,^[1] specializing in the 800 and 1,500 metres. She was successful in national and regional races, although there wasn't much competition.^{[citation needed]} Her first major international tournament was the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where she was eliminated in the preliminary heat of both the 800 and 1,500 m.

Boulmerka's performances slowly became better, and her big breakthrough came in 1991.

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The first major race she won was the 800 m at the Golden Gala race in Rome. A month later, she competed at the World Championships. On the last straight of the 1500 m final, she sprinted to victory