Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad Athlete
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born March 15, 1985) is French track and field athlete who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He is of Algerian origin. He made his first appearances as a junior athlete in 2004, running at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he was 61st in the junior race, and at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics where he competed in the heats of the 3000 m steeplechase. He ran in the 1500 metres at the 2006 European Cup and he was eighth overall. Mekhissi-Benabbad represented France at the 2006 IAAF World Cup, but only managed eighth in the 1500 m event. He beat all opposition at the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships to win the steeplechase gold medal. He competed at his first major senior event later that year – the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. However, he was knocked out in the heats stage of the steeplechase competition. He made significant progression in 2008, knocking seconds off his personal best at the 2008 Summer Olympics to win the Olympic silver medal behind Brimin Kipruto. He improved further at the 2008 Weltklasse Zürich meeting, finishing behind Paul Kipsiele Koech but taking second place in a personal best time of 8:08.95, making him the fourth fastest steeplechaser that year. He opened 2009 with an appearance over 3000 metres at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, where he registered a personal best of 7:53.50. Another best came in the steeplechase at the FBK Games in Hengelo, again behind Kipruto, as he took second place in 8:06:98. Mekhissi-Benabbad took a prominent IAAF Golden League circuit win at the Meeting Areva with a time of 8:13.23, and he was selected for the 2009 World Championships. He was seen as a possible medallist but he failed to complete his heat after suffering an injury in the last lap of the race. He took part in the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, his first major indoor competition, and he reached the final of the 1500 m and finished in eighth with a time of 3:45.22. At the beginning of the outdoor season, he scored a steeplechase win in 8:08.82 over Ezekiel Kemboi and Richard Mateelong at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat. Competing on the French Alma Athlé Tour, he beat Bouabdellah Tahri's world best in the 2000 m steeplechase – who himself had beaten Julius Kariuki's 20-year-old record five days earlier. Mekhissi-Benabbad's run of 5:10.68 knocked nearly three seconds of the old mark.
