Rashid RAMZI

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Bahrain

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Photo/Foto: George Herringshaw

Date: 19 August 2008

Click on image to enlarge

- DATE OF BIRTH
  Friday, 09 November 1979
- PLACE OF BIRTH
  Safi, Morocco

INTERNATIONAL
Bahrain
- Event(s)
  800m, 1500m
- Championship Performances
  Olympics: 2008 "Gold" 1500m (Disq. 2009).
  Worlds: 2005 Gold 800m, Gold 1500m, 2007 silver 1500m.

Rashid RAMZI - Bahrain - Double World Champion 1500m champion.

The main photo above shows Rashid Ramzi crossing the line, arms outstretched in celebration,

to win gold in the final of the mens 1500m at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Kenya's

Asbel Kipruto Kiprop (2287) won the silver medal with New Zealand's Nick Willis (all black) taking bronze.

The inset pictures show an emotional Ramzi, a gold medallist in both the 800m and 1500m at the

2005 World Championships, shortly after the race.

"I didn't believe in my wildest dreams that I'd be Olympic champion, " Ramzi later commented,

who said he had been left speechless by his success, which he rated as good as that world

championship 800m/1550m double in Helsinki. "But the dream didn't come from nothing.

I had to work hard to achieve it. I'm over the moon, I can't find the words to describe this victory."

In November 2009, Ramzi was stripped of his gold medal.

Ramzi tested positive for CERA, an advanced version of the blood-boosting drug EPO.

He returned to competition in 2013-2015


Final Men's 1500m. 2008 Olympic Games.
X. Rashid RAMZI	BAH	Drugs
1. Asbel Kipruto KIPROP	KEN	3: 33.11
2. Nicholas WILLIS	NZL	3: 34.16
3. Mehdi BAALA	FRA	3: 34.21
4. Juan Carlos HIGUERO	ESP	3: 34.44
5. Abdalaati IGUIDER	MOR	3: 34.66
6. Juan van DEVENTER	RSA	3: 34.77
7. Mansoor Belal ALI	BAH	3: 35.23

The photo above shows the closing few metres of the men's 1500m final at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. Bernard Lagat (1113) won the gold medal ahead of Rashid, who is partially obscured by Lagat in the photo above. Shedrack Kibet Korir (773) won the bronze. A frustrated Ramzi, who had completed an 800m/1500m double at the previous World Championships, commented after the race: "I'm very disappointed. The shape was there but I failed tactically. I didn't make my moves at the right time."


Men's 1500m. Final. 2007 World Athletics Champs
1. Bernard LAGAT	USA	3: 34.77
2. Rashid RAMZI	BRN	3: 35.00
3. Shedrack Kibet KORIR	KEN	3: 35.04
4. Asbel KIPROP	KEN	3: 35.24
5. Tarek BOUKENSA	ALG	3: 35.26
6. Antar ZERGUELAINE	ALG	3: 35.29
7. Arturo CASADO	ESP	3: 35.62
8. Alan WEBB	USA	3: 35.69

Rashid (113) is pictured above in the closing metres of the men's 800m final at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. He won the gold medal in a time of 1: 44.24 to complete a memorable middle distance double after he had captured the 1500m title four days earlier (see below). The fast finishing Russian Yuriy Borzakovskiy (803) won the silver with Kenya's William Yiampoy (573) taking bronze ahead of his compatriot Wilfred Bungei. In completing the 800m/1500m double, Rashid became the first man since New Zealand's Peter Snell, way back in 1964, to achieve the feat at a global championship.


Men's 800m. Final. 2005 World Athletics Championships
1. Rashid RAMZI	BRN	1: 44.24
2. Yuriy BORZAKOVSKIY	RUS	1: 44.51
3. William YIAMPOY	KEN	1: 44.55
4. Wilfred BUNGEI	KEN	1: 44.98
5. Djabir SAID-GUERNI	ALG	1: 45.31
6. Mehdi BAALA	FRA	1: 45.32
7. Belal MANSOOR ALI	BRN	1: 45.55
8. Gary REED	CAN	1: 46.20

The left hand photo above shows Rashid sprinting towards the line in the final of the 1500m at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. He took the gold medal in a time of 3: 37.88, with Morocco's Adil Kaouch (631) winning silver and Portugal's Rui Silva (753) bronze. The right hand picture shows Ramzi just as he crosses the line to capture his first major championship medal. It was the first part of a memorable middle distance double for Rashid who won the 800m gold four days later.


Men's 1500m. Final. 2005 World Athletics Championships
1. Rashid RAMZI	BRN	3: 37.88
2. Adil KAOUCH	MAR	3: 38.00
3. Rui SILVA	POR	3: 38.02
4. Ivan HESHKO	UKR	3: 38.71
5. Arturo CASADO	ESP	3: 39.45
6. Juan Carlos HIGUERO	ESP	3: 40.34
7. Alex KIPCHIRCHIR	KEN	3: 40.43
8. Tarek BOUKENSA	ALG	3: 41.01