Baya Rahouli of Algeria (© AFP/Getty Images)
Algeria’s Baya Rahouli and Moroccan Nezha Bidouane were the stars of the third day of Athletics competition in the ‘July 5 Stadium’ at the 10th Pan-Arab Games yesterday in Algiers, Algeria.
Three golds for Rahouli
Home heroine Baya Rahouli, a specialist triple jumper who has competed in the last two Olympic finals, completed an impressive triple gold medal triumph when taking the women's 100m dash.
On Monday, the 25 year old Algerian who had set a national record of 14.98 during the Olympics swept past Sudan’s Yamile Aldama to win the women’s Triple Jump 14.49 to 14.31m. Rahouli then returned to take the Long Jump with a leap of 6.19m on Tuesday, and on Wednesday completed her golden hat-trick with a win in the 100m in a time of 11.84. Not bad for three days work!
Rahouli holds the national record in all three events with a best of 11.51 (11.1 hand timed) for the 100m, and 6.70m for the Long Jump.
Bidouane continues back on road to fitness
The other performance to stir the emotion was the win of former two-time World 400m Hurdles champion Nezha Bidouane. The 35 year-old took the Pan-Arab Games title in 55.98 seconds, well clear of Moussa Houria of Algeria (57.51).
The Moroccan who took World gold in 1997 and 2001 had begun her comeback in June this year in Rabat on 19 June (56.58) after over two years of injury, and had since raced four other times with a best of 54.89 in Heusden, Belgium (31 July). However, the Sydney Olympic bronze medallist and holder of the Area record (52.90 – 1999) could not manage to get past the opening round at the Athens Olympics. Yesterday’s victory was her first win this season since her opening competition in Rabat.
Also of note yesterday in the ‘July 5 Stadium’ was the Games record in the men's 4x100m (39.41) by a Saudi squad which included 400m champion Hamdan Al Bishi.
IAAF
Selected Results – Day Three
with thanks to Chafik Boukabes
Women
100m
1 - Baya Rahouli (Alg) 11.84
2 - Basma Achouche (Jord) 11.97
10,000m
1 - Souad Ait-Salem (Alg) 33:27.58
400m Hurdles
1 - Nezha Bidouane (Mar) 55.98
2 - Moussa Houria (Alg) 57.51
3 - Zohra Lachker (Mar) 58.20
4x400m
1 - Mar 3:38.24
2 - Sud 3:39.53
3 - Alg 3:50.25
Hammer
1 - Marwa Ahmed Hussein (Egy) 62.78m
Men
Long Jump
1 - Issam Nima (Alg) 7.81m
2 - Slimane Khouildi (KSA) 7.79m
3 - Tarek Bouktib (Mar) 7.77m
Javelin
1 - Fares Mahamid (Syr) 75.84m
2 - Hamed Khalifa Djaber (Qat) 70.47m
4 x100m
1 - Ksa 39.41
2 - Omn 40.92
3 - Mar 40.94
