One of the great winners of the Ibercaja 10K in Valencia was Catalan Abdessamad Oukhelfen (1998), who achieved the sensational Spanish record of 10 kilometers in 27’44 minutes, surpassing the previous road record of Tony Abadia (27’48), effective from 2018. At 25 years old, Oukhelfen He is at the best moment of his career and has reached the necessary maturity to go one step further and think about bigger goals. Born in Morocco, but raised in Reus (he speaks perfect Catalan), Abdessamad has always had a special talent for running and his victory on Sunday Valencia It is not a flower of a day. He spent years overcoming stages and growing as an athlete to reach the top with a solid foundation.
As a sub-23, he already gave notice of his abilities by winning the bronze medal in the 5,000m in 2019 at the European Championships in Gävle (Sweden). He has a personal best of 3’40″19 in the 1,500 meters, but his dedication has always focused on long-distance events, where he can make better use of his great endurance capacity. Also as a sub-23 he achieved a famous bronze in the European Cross Country in Lisbon 2019. Exactly, in the cross country where he achieved his best performance, with three participations in the European Cross Country as a senior and with seventh place as the best result in last edition held in Brussels in December 2023. A year before, in 2022, he was able to debut with the Spanish National Team in a major absolute championship, the European Championship in Munich, where he ran the 5,000m final in 13’33 to be 12th overall.
He arrived in Valencia from Soria, where he trains at the CAEP (High Performance Center) and at the Numantino track. Last year’s outdoor season did not go as planned and did not accomplish its goals. A step back that he wants to turn into two steps forward and serve as a turning point in his career. The Olympic minimums to achieve a direct ticket to Paris 2024 are very difficult and in the tests of Oukhelfen 13’05 is required for 5,000m and 27’00 for 10,000m, marks suitable only for a select few worldwide. Your best option to fulfill the Olympic dream is the World Athletics ranking points table, a classification that will be key for most participants and that will assess the athletes’ career throughout the season.
Personal brands
The
1500m 3’40”19
3,000m 7’45”24
5,000m 13’17
10,000m 28’30
Miles 4’14
5 km 13’27
10 km 27’44 (RE)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
