Mohammed Gammoudi
![]() Gammoudi in 2009 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Native name | محمد التليلي بن عبدالله |
Birth name | Mohammed Tlili ben Abdallah |
Nationality | Tunisian |
Born | Sidi Aïch,Tunisia[1] | February 11, 1938
Height | 172 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1] |
Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Club | AS Militaire Tunis[1] |
Achievements and titles | |
Personalbest(s) | 800 meters:1:51.2[2] 1500 meters:3:41.9[2] 3000 meters:7:50.2[2] 5000 meters:13:27.33[2] 10,000 meters:27:54.59[2] |
Mohammed Tlili ben Abdallah(Arabic:محمد التليلي بن عبدالله), also known asMoham(m)ed Gammoudi,(born February 11, 1938) is aTunisianathlete who competed as along-distance runnerin internationaltrack and fieldcompetitions. He represented Tunisia in theTokyo,Mexico City,andMunichOlympiads and recorded four medals, including a gold medal in the5000 metresevent in Mexico City. Gammoudi was also competitive at10,000 metres.
Born inSidi Aïch,in Tunisia, Mohammed Gammoudi was one of the pioneers of the Africanlong-distance runningrevolution that changed the face of the sport in the final decades of the 20th century.
Running career
[edit]1963 Mediterranean Games and 1964 Olympics
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Billy_Mills_and_Mohammed_Gammoudi_1964.jpg/220px-Billy_Mills_and_Mohammed_Gammoudi_1964.jpg)
Gammoudi first came to international attention at the1963 Mediterranean GamesinNaples,where he won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m.[3]and repeated the feat in the 1967 Games. Despite those achievements, Gammoudi was still virtually unknown when he arrived at theTokyo Olympic Games.The favourite, world record holderRon Clarkefrom Australia, ensured a fast tempo throughout the race. With one lap remaining, Clarke had dropped all his main rivals, except Gammoudi andBilly Millsfrom United States. Coming into the home straight, Mills, Clark and Gammoudi exchanged leads. With 50 m to go, Gammoudi had the lead, until Mills swept past Gammoudi to win the gold medal.[4]Two days later, Gammoudi won his heat in the 5000 m, but for reasons never fully explained, he withdrew from the final.
1967 Mediterranean Games and 1968 Olympics
[edit]Gammoudi successfully defended his 5000 m and 10 000 m titles at the Mediterranean Games inTunisin1967,[5]and was one of the favourites at theMexicoOlympics. In the 10,000 m final in Mexico, Gammoudi was in the leading group throughout the race. The group had been reduced to three by the bell lap.Naftali TemufromKenya,who won in 29:27.4 andMamo WoldefromEthiopia29:28, sprinted the last lap, outrunning Gammoudi, leaving him at 29:34, with the bronze medal.[6]Two days later, Gammoudi qualified for the 5000 m final. In the final, three runners were in contention at the bell lap, with Gammoudi leading Temu and another Kenyan,Kip Keino.The last lap was fast pace, and although the two Kenyans gave charge, Gammoudi held on to the lead, winning the gold medal.[7]
1971 Mediterranean Games and 1972 Olympics
[edit]At the next Mediterranean Games, atİzmirin1971,Gammoudi's won the silver in the 5000 m. Despite his disappointing performance at Izmir, Gammoudi was one of the favourites in the impressive 5,000 m and 10,000 m fields at theMunich Olympics.In the 10 000 m final, a tightly bunched group of nine runners were traveling at sub-world record pace just before the 4600 m mark, whenLasse VirénfromFinlandsuddenly stumbled and fell over, causing Gammoudi to tumble over the top of him. Virén recovered quickly and went on to win the race, but Gammoudi took much longer getting to his feet, and after running for a lap and a half to close the 100 m gap that had opened between himself and the leaders, he dropped out. In contrast to the 10,000 m pace, the early stages of the 5000 m final were run at a very slow pace, with Gammoudi prominent in the pack that remained tightly bunched for the first 3000 m. The pace picked up considerably in the last 2000 m, with Virén and United States championSteve Prefontaineseparating from the pack. The last mile turned into an all out sprint, with Virén beating Gammoudi by about ten meters, in the latter's last major competitive race.[8]
International Cross Country Championships
[edit]Gammoudi also excelled incross country running.He finished third at the1965 International Cross Country Championships,held at Ostend, Belgium. In 1968, running in Tunis, in his home country, he won theInternational Cross Country Championships,becoming the third African man to take that title.[9]
International competitions
[edit]References
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^abcMohammed Gammoudi.sports-reference
- ^abcdeAll-Athletics."Profile of Mohamed Gammoudi".
- ^1963 Mediterranean Games resultArchived2014-06-24 at theWayback Machine,CIJMwebsite
- ^Athletics at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games: Men's 10,000 metres.sports-reference
- ^1967 Mediterranean Games resultArchived2014-06-23 at theWayback Machine,CIJMwebsite
- ^Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de Mexico Summer Games: Men's 10,000 metres.sports-reference
- ^Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de Mexico Summer Games:: Men's 5,000 metres.sports-reference
- ^Athletics at the 1972 Munich Summer Games: Men's 5,000 metres.sports-reference
- ^International Cross Country Championships.gbrathletics
Notes
[edit]- 1938 births
- Living people
- People from Gafsa Governorate
- Tunisian male long-distance runners
- Olympic athletes for Tunisia
- Olympic gold medalists for Tunisia
- Olympic silver medalists for Tunisia
- Olympic bronze medalists for Tunisia
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- International Cross Country Championships winners
- Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Tunisia
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1963 Mediterranean Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1967 Mediterranean Games
- Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics