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Join on Telegram Rabat – Moroccan athlete Douae Ouboukir won the Catalonia cross-country championship barefoot, drawing attention from spectators and sports reporters.
The race took place on Sunday, February 9, in the town of Mataro, around 30 kilometers north of Barcelona, northeastern Spain.
Douae Ouboukir se proclamó campeona de Catalunya de cross este pasado fin de semana sin placas de carbono, ni doble cámara de aire, ni 40mm de media suela. Descalza, a pelo. Sí, aún hay 'inhumanas' como ella… 😳🔝 pic.twitter.com/zBxr0HaKZQ
— LBDC / labolsadelcorredor.com (@BolsaCorredor) February 10, 2020
“Douae Ouboukir was proclaimed champion of the Catalonia cross-country this weekend without carbon plates, double air chamber [shoes], or a 40mm midsole… Yes, there are still ‘superhumans’ like her,” commented Spanish running magazine LBDC.
Douae Ouboukir desafía al carbono y se adjudica el 101 Campeonato de Catalunya de Cross con un final demoledor pic.twitter.com/7gaBQihZRf
— LBDC / labolsadelcorredor.com (@BolsaCorredor) February 9, 2020
“Douae Ouboukir defies carbon and wins the 101st Catalan cross-country championship with an [impressive] finish,” reads another tweet.
After emigrating with her family to Spain at the age of 12, Ouboukir joined the Sant Just Athletic Club near Barcelona.
The 23-year-old is a specialist in 3K, 5K, and 10K cross-country races.
The young athlete told Spanish media “that running without shoes feels more natural and less slippery for cross-country.”
This is not the first time the Moroccan runner has won a race with no shoes on. In November 2019, Ouboukir drew attention when she won the Girona cross-country race in her eccentric technique.
👉 Douae Ouboukir (CA Sant Just) aconsegueix el triomf al Cros Ciutat de Girona, corrent descalça ‼️
En aquests temps de discussió sobre les sabatilles, Douae ens deixa bocabadats 👏
2ª Irene Bonafonte i 3ª @marinaaguerrero
Apunt de @joanlleonartm i 📷 @CAManresa pic.twitter.com/HoEYrChksy
— Pere Ocaña (@Pergat097) November 18, 2019
“Douae Ouboukir wins the Girona cross-country, running barefoot. In these times of debate about running shoes, Douae leaves us speechless,” reads a tweet in Catalan from Spanish athletics reporter Pere Ocana.
The young Moroccan’s achievement brings to mind the unprecedented victory of Ethiopian marathon legend Abebe Bikila, when he won Olympic gold in Rome, 1960, running without shoes.
