1,500 m: "There is no limit," Azeddine Habz chases El Guerrouj’s mythical record

Azeddine Habz is no longer content with his status as the French record holder. Having become the sixth performer in history over 1,500 m with a canon time of 3’27"49 set in Paris, the 32-year-old athlete is now aiming for the absolute summit. On the Sport en France program, he clearly displays his ambition to bring down the 3’26"00 mark set by Hicham El Guerrouj. The gap of a second and a half does not seem insurmountable to him: he believes that with even more work, the barrier can be broken, stating that there is "no limit".

The challenge is immense. Since July 14, 1998 and that perfect race at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, only three other runners have managed to approach the master: Bernard Lagat, Asbel Kiprop and recently the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen in 2024. Habz acknowledges that the competition is tough and that others are close to the feat, but the symbolism would be strong for one who shares his Moroccan origins with the legend.

The inspiration draws its source from history. Habz keeps in mind the Olympic final in Athens in 2004, where El Guerrouj snatched the gold from Lagat. He describes this final straight as a psychological battle before being physical, a moment where the mind takes precedence over the body. For the French athlete, El Guerrouj represented all Moroccans at the time, a figure capable of transforming a day of grace, where everything aligns in the "zone", into an eternal performance.