Salah
Hissou makes his return to the track
Mohammed Bencherif (MAP) for the IAAF
1 February 2002 – Rabat, Morocco – The Moroccan athlete Salah Hissou, 5000m world champion
in Seville 99, will make his return to the track next Sunday in Stuttgart, when he will
compete in the 3000m indoors.
Hissou was sidelined in the summer of 200 by an injury to the left foot that caused him to miss the Olympic Games in Sydney. He underwent surgery in Antwerp (Belgium), by the Belgian orthopedic surgeon Professor Martens at the end of May 2001.
On 7 October last year he signaled his return to competition with an eleventh palce in the World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol.
Hissou, who won the bronze medal at 5000 metres at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 says that his participation in Stuttgart, the first indoor competition of a long and rich career, will enable him to test his form and will be a new challenge.
A second appearance on the indoor circuit for this ex 10,000m world record holder is scheduled for 17 February, at the Norwich Union Indoor meeting in Birmingham, England, where he will compete in another 3000m event.
Hissou, who now trains without a coach, will then compete in Italy at the 12km cross country race in San Vittore Olona, better known as the Cinque Mulini (or Five Mills), as part of his winter programme.
According to his manager, Aziz Daouda, Hissou will skip the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin on 23-24 March, to avoid overexerting in what is sure to be an extremely tough competition.
Salah Hissou has to his credit two silver medals from the World Cross: Cape Town in 1996 and Turin 1997, as well as a bronze from the 1995 edition in Durham (England).
After his tour in Europe, he will return to Ifrane for altitude training in preparation for the Golden League and IAAF Grand Prix circuit in the summer.
Another absentee, Zahra Ouaziz, silver medalist in the 5000m in Seville and in the short cross in Marrakech and Vilamoura, who has been sidelined since June 200 due to injury, will also return to competition in March.
According to Zahra, she hopes to compete at the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin.
Meanwhile, Hasna Benhassi, World Champion Indoors at 15000 metres in Lisbon, who gave birth to a daughter in December, plans her return for the African Championships, which will be staged in Tunis from 6-10 August and which count for qualification towards the IAAF World Cup in Athletics.
