Olympic Victory for Hasna Benhassi
Hasna Benhassi was born in Morocco on 1 June 1978, and is one of the country’s top performing athletes in the middle distance division. She has been very consistent during her career as an athlete and has brought home numerous medals for Morocco over the years. It was therefore not surprising to see Hasna Benhassi at the Beijing Olympic Games, representing her country. Winning a bronze medal in the 800 meters for women has once again proved her ability and skill as a professional athlete.
In 2000, Benhassi took part in the Summer Olympics, which saw her finish in eighth position in the 800 meters, but has since enjoyed victories at many international venues. Benhassi won the gold medal for the 1,500 meter for women at the 2001 World Indoor Championships, which were held in Lisbon. At the IAAF Grand Prix Final, she won her race comfortably and went on to secure a second position and silver medal for Morocco at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She found much success during 2005, winning the Golden Gala, Athens Super Grand Prix Tsiklitiria, Meeting at Atletismo Sevilla and the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix. At the World Championships in Helsinki, she won a silver medal and had second place finishes at the IAAF Grand Prix Final, Welsklasse Zurich and Meeting de Madrid. During the Van Damme Memorial in 2006, Hasna Benhassi won the 800 meter women’s event and in 2007, she won the silver medal at the World Championships held in Osaka.
Gearing up for her participation in the Beijing Olympic Games, Hasna Benhassi has been doing a lot of preparation and won the Meeting de Athletismo Madrid on the 5th of July 2008. Going into the Beijing Olympic Games, Benhassi remained positive about her performance and after winning a position into the finals for the 800 meter for women, everyone in Morocco pinned their hopes on her to win a medal. She did not disappoint her loyal fans as she powered over the finish line in third position behind winner Pamela Jelima and second place finisher, Janeth Jepkosgei.
Morocco has had a great number of champion athletes in a variety of different sports but when it comes to the 800 meters and 1,500 meters for women, Hasna Benhassi comes out on top. She has always given a hundred percent of herself to her sport and her country and it is expected that she will continue to achieve great performances in the future.
