Moroccan Success; The Kada Way

Description 

Excelling in international distance running is not an easy caper. Who is willing to
put in the hours of everyday training? Who wants to physically exhaust themselves at
regular intervals? Who finds satisfaction in testing their mental strength, while
pushing through the pain barrier? Who is willing to commit their entire everyday
life to being the best they can be?

 
Abdelkader Kada has coached athletes of exceptional ability who answered ‘yes’ to
these questions. The stories of Moroccans Hicham El Guerrouj, Salah Hissou and Ali
Ezzine are ones of great success. Success that was achieved through dedication,
belief and natural talent.
 
Inspired by their coach and the earlier deeds of Said Aouita, read on as Hicham,
Salah and Ali do their best to defeat some of the greatest long distance runners the
world has seen. 
 
 
About the Author
 
Greg Rowlerson is a young Australian and unashamedly, an international athletics
fan. He has been a semi serious distance runner for seventeen years, participating
in many fun runs over ten kilometres and various other distances. His passion and
knowledge of Athletics have amassed over the years to a point where he has instant
recall of many athletes and their individual performances including placings,
personal bests etc.
 
Much of what you read in this book is based on Greg’s own personal knowledge. To add
credibility and further enhance this publication, he spent five months in Morocco
where he researched and interviewed one of the athletes mentioned.
 
Greg is twenty-eight years old and resides in Boronia, Victoria. This is his first
book. 
 
 
Book Extract
 
The clock was ticking ever so closer toward 8:15 pm, Hicham El Guerrouj's moment of
truth. He had not lost a proper race for almost two years. Logic said that he should
win if he made the race suit him. Morceli was the big threat, though Cacho couldn't
be totally discounted with his proven record in major championships. Rotich also had
good form this season. They were the three men for Kada and El Guerrouj to keep an
eye on. Kibowen hadn't qualified, nor had Hicham's teammates Maazouzi and Seddiki.
Only Spain had two runners in the final so team tactics weren't expected to play a
part. How slow was El Guerrouj willing to allow the race to be run?
 

Noureddine Morceli had the accolades going into the Athens final. Hicham El Guerrouj
had the form. Would the champion hold onto his crown or would there be an emphatic
takeover?
 

The final is a typically slow one early, but El Guerrouj places himself perfectly on
the outside of the German Stenzel who leads through 400 metres in 61.08. Robert De
Castella comments on Morceli and El Guerrouj, "The big question is can this young
Moroccan unseat Morceli from the throne that he’s had now for five or six years?
Morceli has completely dominated this event winning world championships, Olympic
Games and world records, but there is a bit of a question mark. Over the last couple
of years he has been vulnerable, and the person he's been vulnerable to, is in
second place there."
 

Estevez soon goes to the front and he takes them to 800 metres in 2:02.04. Suddenly
El Guerrouj tears to the front with the clear intention of taking his eleven
opponents past their pain threshold. There is no better way to do this than to run
the third lap at an unbelievable pace.
 

With 600 metres to go the pressure is being firmly applied. Nobody in recent times
would ever take a major championship 1,500 metres final on so far out. Morceli
usually went at the bell. Now he is forced to chase and go close to his red zone
earlier than he wants. Initially Noureddine is able to follow the Moroccan into
second place. These are good tactics from the Algerian.
 

Cacho has also passed Estevez to move to third and with 500 metres to go we have a
real race on our hands. Then boom! El Guerrouj puts a couple of metres on Morceli in
no time. The advantage of youthful legs. Does the world champion really have the
necessary speed anymore?