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Mohammed Gammoudi

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Mohammed Gammoudi
Gammoudi in 2009
Personal information
Native nameمحمد التليلي بن عبدالله
Birth nameMohammed Tlili ben Abdallah
NationalityTunisian
Born(1938-02-11)February 11, 1938(age 86)
Sidi Aïch,Tunisia[1]
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
ClubAS 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]
Medal record
RepresentingTunisia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City 5000 metres
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo 10000 metres
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 5000 metres
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City 10000 metres
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 Naples 5000 metres
Gold medal – first place 1963 Naples 10000 metres
Gold medal – first place 1967 Tunis 5000 metres
Gold medal – first place 1967 Tunis 10000 metres

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

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1963 Mediterranean Games and 1964 Olympics

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Mills and Gammoudi (right) at the 1964 Olympics.

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

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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

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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

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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

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
RepresentingTunisia
1962 International Cross Country Championships Sheffield, United Kingdom 48th 12.0 km 46:52
1963 International Cross Country Championships San Sebastián, Spain 7th 12.1 km 38:11.6
Mediterranean Games Naples, Italy 1st 5000 m 14:07.4
1st 10,000 m 29:34.2
1964 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 20th (h) 5000 m 14:10.2[a]
2nd 10,000 m 28:24.8
1965 International Cross Country Championships Ostend, Belgium 3rd 12.1 km 37:00
1967 Mediterranean Games Tunis, Tunisia 1st 5000 m 14:02.2
1st 10,000 m 31:01.6
1968 International Cross Country Championships Tunis, Tunisia 1st 12.1 km 35:25.4
Olympic Games Mexico City, Mexico 1st 5000 m 14:05.0
3rd 10,000 m 29:34.2
1969 International Cross Country Championships Clydebank,United Kingdom 12 km DNF
Maghreb Championships Tripoli, Libya 1st 5000 m 14:01.6
1st 10,000 m 29:46.8
1971 Maghreb Championships Casablanca, Morocco 1st 5000 m 14:20.2
1st 10,000 m 30:16.8
Mediterranean Games Izmir, Turkey 2nd 5000 m 13:40.8
10,000 m DNF
1972 Olympic Games Munich, West Germany 2nd 5000 m 13:27.4
3rd (h) 10,000 m 27:54.69[b]

References

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  1. ^abcMohammed Gammoudi.sports-reference
  2. ^abcdeAll-Athletics."Profile of Mohamed Gammoudi".
  3. ^1963 Mediterranean Games resultArchived2014-06-24 at theWayback Machine,CIJMwebsite
  4. ^Athletics at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games: Men's 10,000 metres.sports-reference
  5. ^1967 Mediterranean Games resultArchived2014-06-23 at theWayback Machine,CIJMwebsite
  6. ^Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de Mexico Summer Games: Men's 10,000 metres.sports-reference
  7. ^Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de Mexico Summer Games:: Men's 5,000 metres.sports-reference
  8. ^Athletics at the 1972 Munich Summer Games: Men's 5,000 metres.sports-reference
  9. ^International Cross Country Championships.gbrathletics

Notes

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  1. ^Did not start in the final
  2. ^Did not finish in the final