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Join on Telegram Rabat – Moroccan Paralympic athletes have cemented their place on the world stage thanks to their dignified participation in the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, which concluded on September 5 with the Moroccan champions bringing home 11 medals.
Despite the lack of sufficient preparations, the majority – if not all – of the para-athletes suffered, Morocco’s participation at the Tokyo Games seems to be the greatest performance in the country’s history. The country finished 30th in the overall ranking table, where its previous finest performance was earning seven medals in Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.
In this year’s Paralympics, Abdeslam Hili made headlines after an impressive performance in the men’s T12 400m. The 24-year-old won the gold medal after a “storming run” bettering his own world record in 47.59 seconds in difficult weather conditions.
“I came here to challenge the world record. I was preparing for this for a while even though it was pretty difficult since it was raining a lot and I could barely see with my eyeglasses,” he told ParaAthletics.
Abdeslam Hili was not the only Moroccan to break a world record. Ayoub Sadni, for his part, snatched gold in the T47 400m after reaching the finish line within 47.38 seconds, setting a new world record in his discipline.
In the F33 men’s shot put, Zakariae Derhem added a new gold medal to Morocco’s remarkable trophy tally after outplaying Algeria’s Kamel Kardjena, double gold medalist at Beijing 2008 and London 2012. The Moroccan champion beat his Algerian counterpart and, in the process, set a new Paralympic record with a throw of 11.37m – just three centimeters ahead of the Algerian.
Hours prior to the closing ceremony, Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf successfully defended his title and offered the North African country its fourth gold medal. At the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, the 40-year-old set a new Paralympic record of 2:21:43 in the T12 marathon.
The double Paralympic champion tried to take control of the race from the beginning to avoid any unpleasant surprises. “I managed to be in the lead from the beginning and lead all the way to the end. The weather was difficult with humidity and rain, but I am so thankful,” he said in a statement to ParaAthletics.
Morocco’s tally in the 2020 Paralympics also included 4 silver medals. Fouzia El Kassioui won silver in the F33 shot put with a throw of 6.72m after Algeria’s Boudjadar Asmahane (7.10m) and ahead of Australia’s Strong Maria (6.63m). This was a victory to be added to her bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai.
After switching from para powerlifting to para-athletics, Morocco’s Youssra Karim fulfilled her dream of winning a medal at the Paralympic Games. The 24-year-old finished second in the F41 discus throw with a new personal best of 37.35m.
“I wanted to win a Paralympic medal and decided to switch from Para powerlifting to Para athletics,” she told the official website of the Olympics in 2020.
Mohamed Amguoun, meanwhile, clinched silver in the men’s T13 400 race with a time of 47.70 seconds. The Moroccan para-runner failed to repeat his outstanding achievement in Rio 2016, where he clinched the gold medal. He fell short of a few points, losing the first place to Algeria’s Skander Djamil Athmani who set a new world record at 46.70. Namibia’s Johannes Nambala completed (48.76) the podium in a clean sweep for Africa.
Azeddine Nouiri – gold medalist at London 2012 and Rio 2016 – secured Morocco’s fourth silver medal in the F34 shot put event with a throw of 11.55m. Jordan’s Ahmad Hindi performed 12.25 to top the ranking, while Qatar’s Abdulrahman Abdulqadir Fiqu ranked third with a distance of 11.36.
During the two-week event, the 5-a-side national football team stole the show by standing rock-solid against highly ranked nations in his discipline. The national squad brought home bronze after a fine tournament and an incredible last performance against China in the third place play-off. Morocco’s main player Zouhair Snisla scored Morocco’s four goals against the Chinese team.
In women’s F41 discus throw discipline, Hayat El Garaa finished third with a throw of 29.30m. Saida Amoudi, meanwhile, grabbed Morocco’s third bronze medal in the Games thanks to an 8.21 throw in the F34 shot put.
Pending rewards
A one-minute video published on August 12 – twelve days prior to the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games – shows Morocco’s 5-a-side football team players protesting in front of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and threatening to withdraw from the event.
“We inform the public that we are protesting until we find an agreement. If no agreement is found, we will not go to Tokyo, we will not participate in the Games… We can’t represent the country under these circumstances imposed on us by the Ministry,” said Morocco’s squad captain Imad Berka in the published video.
In an interview with journalist Salma Akesbi, the Moroccan para runner En-Nourhi Meryem expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation of the Moroccan athletes.
“Moroccan athletes don’t get what they deserve,” En-Nourhi stated. “We held a peaceful sit-in in front of the Ministry of Youth and Sports to get our pending rewards… We hope that we can find our financial dues paid when we get back to Morocco.”
After the successful participation of the Moroccan delegation in the 2020 Paralympics, it is now up to Morocco’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sports for People with Disabilities (FRMSPSH) to improve the situation of these disabled athletes that have honored the Moroccan colors.
