Former Marathon Champion Struggles with Heroin Addiction, Seeks Redemption

On Tuesday, September 10, Jaouad had been arrested in flagrante delicto for the 17th time by two Spanish security guards for theft of electronic devices at the El Saler shopping center in Valencia. The marathoner, who appeared on Friday, September 13 before the courts, after spending the night in custody, was released.

However, he was sentenced to three months in prison with probation and was forced to make firm commitments in turn, including committing not to commit any more crimes in the next 3 years, and to undergo a detoxification treatment in Valencia.

Upon his release, it was with tears in his eyes and a dejected face that the young Moroccan left the Valencia Palace of Justice in search of a shelter on the street. He was wearing shorts, an old coat and a backpack with personal items and toiletries. Since he has been stealing and using heroin, Tougane is no longer the same.

"I came by patera and it was very difficult for me to succeed. I think I can still win races and be like before," he says nostalgically. "I need a second chance, a club to help me, someone to give me a job. I’m not a thief. I want to stop stealing and compete on the track," he insists, before adding, with regret: "Heroin is killing me. I don’t want to live like this. I’ve tried to kill myself twice."

Today, Tougane seems to be realizing that he has hit rock bottom and is determined to rebuild a new life, putting his past mistakes behind him.

"The judge told me that if I stole again I would go to prison. Now I live on the street. I need a job and someone to help me. I know how to do gardening and I also worked in a warehouse," recalls the former athlete and regional marathon champion in Valencia in 2018.