Rabat – Morocco concluded its campaign at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships by finishing 15th in the overall medal standings among over 135 participating nations.
The Moroccan participants returned home with one gold medal, one bronze, and several finalists in Eugene, Oregon.
The standout achievement came from Imad Bouchajda, who captured gold in the men’s 800m, crossing the finish line in 1:44.64 to secure Morocco’s only title of the competition.
Australia’s Daniel Williams finished second in 1:45.36, while Spain’s Alejandro Rios claimed Bronze in 1:46.25.
Bouchajda’s victory marked a historic milestone, making him the first Moroccan ever to win the U20 world title in the 800m. He also became only the fourth Moroccan athlete to win gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships, joining Adil Kaouch (1500m, 1998), Yassine Bensghir (1500m, 2002), and Abdalaati Iguider (1500m, 2004).
Morocco’s second medal came in the men’s 1500m, where Oussama Er Redouani claimed bronze after finishing in 3:39.6.
Fellow Moroccan Mohamed El Moussalit narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth with a time of 3:41.09.
Several other Moroccan athletes also produced encouraging performances by reaching the latter stages of their respective events.
Saida El-Bouzy qualified for the women’s 1500m final, Mahfoud Bellal reached the men’s 3000m steeplechase final, while Rania El Hamdaoui and Adam Namar advanced to the semifinals of the women’s and men’s 400m hurdles, respectively.
Morocco finished 15th in the overall medal standings at the championships, which brought together more than 1,700 athletes from over 135 countries at Eugene’s iconic Hayward Field.
The competition marked the 21st edition of the World Athletics U20 Championships and the second time the Oregon venue has hosted the event, having previously staged it in 2014.
