Souad Aït Salem

Medal record
Women's athletics
Competitor for  Algeria
Mediterranean Games
Gold 2005 Almería 10,000 metres
All-Africa Games
Gold 2007 Algiers Half marathon

Souad Aït Salem (born 6 January 1979) is an Algerian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon. She was born in Mecheria. She won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2000 African Championships in Athletics and the 2005 Mediterranean Games.[1] Salem also won the gold in the half marathon at the 2007 All-Africa Games. She holds the Algerian records for every women's event between 3000 metres and the marathon distance.

Her first appearance on the world stage was in the junior race at the 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she finished in 98th place. Salem reached the top fifty at the 2000 and 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She ran in the 5000 metres at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and the 2004 Summer Olympics but did not progress beyond her heat in either competition.

After winning the Universiade cross country competition, Salem switched to the marathon distance in 2006 and the move paid off: she won the 2006 Alexander The Great Marathon in Thessaloniki. She won the women's race at the 13th Rome Marathon on March 18, 2007. Her time was 2:25:08 hrs was a new course record.[2] She finished 9th in the women's marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with a time of 2:28:29 hrs.[3] At the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, she finished 16th in the marathon race. She finished sixth at the London Marathon in 2008 and went on to finish in ninth place in the women's marathon race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Personal bests

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Algeria
2000 African Championships Algiers, Algeria 1st 10,000 m
2002 African Championships Radès, Tunisia 5th 10,000 m
2003 World Championships Paris, France 24th (h) 5000 m 15:34.64
2004 Pan Arab Games Algiers, Algeria 1st 5000 m
1st 10,000 m
1st Half marathon
Summer Olympics Athens, Greece 33rd (h) 5000 m 16:02.10
– 10,000 m DNF
2005 Mediterranean Games Almería, Spain 1st 10,000 m
2006 World Road Running Championships Debrecen, Hungary 9th 20 km 1:06:11 PB
2007 All-Africa Games Algiers, Algeria 1st Half Marathon 1:13:35
Rome City Marathon Rome, Italy 1st Marathon 2:25:08
World Championships Osaka, Japan 16th Marathon 2:35:09
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 9th Marathon 2:28:29
2008 Pan Arab Games Doha, Qatar 4th Half marathon 1:15:13

References

  1. ^ Mediterranean Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  2. ^ Algeria's Souad Ait Salem wins Rome Marathon, Algeria News & Events, Tuesday, March 20, 2007, internet posting.
  3. ^ Athletics Women's Marathon Detailed Results, http://www.results.beijing2008.cn, Sunday, August 17, 2008, internet posting

External links

  • 1973 – 2003: Marathon
  • 2007 – 2011: Half Marathon