1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
Race Results -- Men 's
Table:
Rank
Athlete
Nationality
Time
Notes

Khalid Skah
Morocco
1:00:27

Germán Silva
Mexico
1:00:28

Ronaldo da Costa
Brazil
1:00:54

4
Godfrey Kiprotich
Kenya
1:01:01

5
Shem Kororia
Kenya
1:01:16

6
Andrew Masai
Kenya
1:01:19

7
Tendai Chimusasa
Zimbabwe
1:01:26

8
Fackson Nkandu
Zambia
1:01:30
NR

9
Moses Tanui
Kenya
1:01:35

10
Rolando Vera
Ecuador
1:01:36

11
Paul Tergat
Kenya
1:01:37

12
Martín Pitayo
Mexico
1:01:38

13
Bedilu Kibret
Ethiopia
1:01:40

14
Benjamin Paredes
Mexico
1:01:41

15
Carsten Eich
Germany
1:01:44

16
Kamal Kohil
Algeria
1:01:50

17
Addis Abebe
Ethiopia
1:02:14

18
Salah Hissou
Morocco
1:02:20

19
Samson Dingani
Zimbabwe
1:02:21

20
Meshack Mogotsi
South Africa
1:02:26

Considering the table as well as the supporting evidence provided at the end.

Solve the question: Germán Silva also competed at the World Championships in Athletics on how many occasions ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Khalid Skah ( Arabic : خالد سكاح ) ( born January 29 , 1967 ) is a Moroccan track and field athlete , winner of the 10,000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics . Born in Midelt , Morocco , Skah established himself first as a good cross country runner by winning the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1990 and 1991 .
Morocco ( /məˈrɒkoʊ/ ( listen ) ; Arabic : المغرب , romanized : al-maġhrib , lit . 'place the sun sets ; the west ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : lmeɣrib ; French : Maroc ) , officially the Kingdom of Morocco ( Arabic : المملكة المغربية , romanized : al-mamlakah al-maghribiyah , lit . 'The Western Kingdom ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : tageldit n lmaɣrib ; French : Royaume du Maroc ) , is a country located in the Maghreb region of North Africa . It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west , with land border with Algeria to the east and Western Sahara to the south ( status disputed ) . Morocco also claims the exclaves of Ceuta , Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , all of them under Spanish jurisdiction , as well as several small Spanish-controlled islands of its coast . The capital is Rabat and the largest city is Casablanca . Morocco spans an area of 710,850 km2 ( 274,460 sq mi ) and has a population of over 36 million . Since the foundation of the first Moroccan state by Idris I in 788 AD , the country has been ruled by a series of independent dynasties , reaching its zenith under Almoravid and Almohad rule , when it spanned parts of Iberia and northwestern Africa . The Marinid and Saadi dynasties resisted foreign domination into the 17th century , allowing Morocco to remain the only northwest African country to avoid Ottoman occupation . The Alaouite dynasty , which rules to this day , seized power in 1631 . The country 's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean attracted the interest of Europe , and in 1912 , Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates , with an international zone in Tangier . It regained its independence in 1956 , and has since remained comparatively stable and prosperous by regional standards , with the fifth largest economy in Africa .
Germán Silva Martínez ( born 9 January 1968 in Zacatlán , Puebla ) is a retired Mexican long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon . His foremost achievements were back-to-back victories at the New York City Marathon in 1994 and 1995 . He represented Mexico twice at the Summer Olympics , in 1992 and 1996 . He also competed at the World Championships in Athletics on two occasions . His personal best for the marathon is two hours , eight minutes , and 56 seconds . Outside marathon running , he was the silver medallist at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships ( where he set the Mexican record of 1:00:28 ) and won a gold medal in the steeplechase at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games .
Mexico ( Spanish : México [ ˈmexiko ] ( listen ) ; Nahuatl languages : Mēxihco ) , officially the United Mexican States ( UMS ; Spanish : Estados Unidos Mexicanos , EUM [ esˈtaðos uˈniðoz mexiˈkanos ] ( listen ) , lit . Mexican United States ) , is a country in the southern portion of North America . It is bordered to the north by the United States ; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean ; to the southeast by Guatemala , Belize , and the Caribbean Sea ; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico . Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers ( 770,000 sq mi ) , the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world . With an estimated population of over 129 million people , Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world , while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil . Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City ( CDMX ) , which is the capital city and its most populous city . Other metropolises in the country include Guadalajara , Monterrey , Puebla , Toluca , Tijuana , and León . Pre-Columbian Mexico dates to about 8000 BC and is identified as one of six cradles of civilization and was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Olmec , Toltec , Teotihuacan , Zapotec , Maya , and Aztec before first contact with Europeans . In 1521 , the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its politically powerful base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan ( part of Mexico City ) , which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain . The Roman Catholic Church played a powerful role in governing the country as millions were converted to the faith , although King Charles III expelled the Jesuits in the 1770s . The territory became a nation state following its recognition in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence . The post-independence period was tumultuous , characterized by economic inequality and many contrasting political changes .
Ronaldo da Costa ( born June 7 , 1970 in Descoberto , Brazil ) is a former long-distance runner and world-record holder for the marathon distance .
Brazil ( Portuguese : Brasil ; Portuguese pronunciation : [ bɾaˈziw ] ) , [ nt 1 ] officially the Federative Republic of Brazil ( Portuguese : República Federativa do Brasil , listen ( help·info ) ) , is the largest country in both South America and Latin America . At 8.5 million square kilometers ( 3.2 million square miles ) and with over 211 million people , Brazil is the world 's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous . Its capital is Brasília , and its most populous city is São Paulo . The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states , the Federal District , and the 5,570 municipalities . It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas ; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations , due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east , Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers ( 4,655 mi ) . It borders all other countries in South America except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent 's land area . Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest , home to diverse wildlife , a variety of ecological systems , and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats . This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries , and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection . Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral , who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire . Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 , when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro . In 1815 , the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal , Brazil and the Algarves .
Godfrey Chirchir Kiprotich ( born 23 November 1964 ) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in road running . He was a team gold medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1994 , placing fourth to lead a team including Shem Kororia and Andrew Masai to victory .
Kenya ( /ˈkɛnjə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili : Jamhuri ya Kenya ) , is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors . At 580,367 square kilometres ( 224,081 sq mi ) , Kenya is the world 's 48th largest country by total area . With a population of more than 47.6 million people , Kenya is the 29th most populous country . Kenya 's capital and largest city is Nairobi , while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa . Kisumu City is the third largest city and also an inland port on Lake Victoria . Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret . Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest , Ethiopia to the north , Somalia to the east , Uganda to the west , Tanzania to the south , and the Indian Ocean to the southeast . According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material , the Cushites first settled in the lowlands of Kenya between 3,200 and 1,300 BC , a phase referred to as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic . Nilotic-speaking pastoralists ( ancestral to Kenya 's Nilotic speakers ) started migrating from present-day southern Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC . European colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior . Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony , which began in 1920 . Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution , which began in 1952 , and the subsequent declaration of independence in 1963 .
Shem Kororia ( born 25 September 1972 ) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres and half marathon . He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , United States . Kororia was the third man ever to run the half marathon within an hour , when he won the world half marathon title on October 1997 in Košice , Slovakia , clocking 59:56 minutes . He won 5000 metres gold twice at the Military World Games : in 1995 and 1999 . He also won the Parelloop 10K in race in the Netherlands in 1997 and had back-to-back wins at the BOclassic in 1994-95 . He also competed in cross country running events . He was twice a team gold medallist with Kenya at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships ( 1994 and 1997 ) . On the major cross country meet circuit he had two wins at the Cross Internacional de la Constitución ( 1994 and 1995 ) and was the 1996 winner of both the Campaccio and the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños races . He is from Kaptama in Mount Elgon District , the same village as Edith Masai .
Andrew Masai ( born 13 December 1960 ) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in road running and cross country running events . He was one of Kenya 's best cross country runners in the late 1980s , taking six team gold medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships . His best individual finish at that competition was sixth in 1987 . He was key to the rise of Kenya in cross country , helping the nation to its first team title and scoring points which helped establish an unbeaten streak in the team race which lasted from 1986 to 2003 . He was also a silver medallist at the African Cross Country Championships in 1985 . He was a one-time national champion , taking the long-course Kenyan title in 1991 . A member of the Sabaot tribe , Masai grew up in Chepkoya - a village on Mount Elgon in Kenya 's Bungoma County . Over his career spanning twenty years , from 1984 to 2004 , he ran mainly cross country until 1991 before switching to road running . He contested mainly races in France and Italy ( under Gianni DeMadonna 's management ) before turning to the United States professional circuit in 2000 . He was the national runner-up in cross country three times ( 1985 , 1987 , 1989 ) . Among his road victories were the Giro al Sas ( twice ) , Roma-Ostia Half Marathon ( twice ) , Lyon Half Marathon ( twice ) , the Paris Half Marathon and Indianapolis Half Marathon . He had one win over the marathon distance at the Südtirol Marathon in 1995 .
Tendai Chimusasa ( born January 28 , 1971 in Nyanga ) is a retired Zimbabwean long-distance runner . He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia . He won the Lisbon Half Marathon 1992 and Berlin Half Marathon in 1994 and 1997 . Chimusasa was also a cross country runner and won the Eurocross meeting in Luxembourg in 1994 and 1996 .
Zimbabwe ( /zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ , -wi/ ) , officially the Republic of Zimbabwe , formerly Rhodesia , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa , between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers , bordered by South Africa , Botswana , Zambia and Mozambique . The capital and largest city is Harare . The second largest is Bulawayo . A country of roughly 14 million people , Zimbabwe has 16 official languages , with English , Shona , and Ndebele the most common . Since the 11th century , present-day Zimbabwe has been the site of several organised states and kingdoms as well as a major route for migration and trade . The British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes first demarcated the present territory during the 1890s ; it became the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923 . In 1965 , the conservative white minority government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia . The state endured international isolation and a 15-year guerrilla war with black nationalist forces ; this culminated in a peace agreement that established universal enfranchisement and de jure sovereignty as Zimbabwe in April 1980 . Zimbabwe then joined the Commonwealth of Nations , from which it was suspended in 2002 for breaches of international law by its then-government , and from which it withdrew in December 2003 . The sovereign state is a member of the United Nations , the Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) , the African Union ( AU ) , and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA ) . It was once known as the Jewel of Africa for its great prosperity . Robert Mugabe became Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in 1980 , when his ZANU-PF party won the elections following the end of white minority rule ; he was the President of Zimbabwe from 1987 until his resignation in 2017 .
Fackson Nkandu ( born 27 May 1971 ) is a Zambian long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres during his career . He won a bronze medal in this event at the 1994 Commonwealth Games . He also competed in the 1993 World Championships . He is the national record order in the 10 km road , setting his mark in Durban , Republic of South Africa on 16 November 1996 . Also a Zambian records in athletics in The 3rd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on 24 September 1994 in Oslo , Norway .
Zambia ( /ˈzæmbiə/ ) , officially the Republic of Zambia , is a landlocked country in Southern-Central Africa ( although some sources consider it part of East Africa ) . Its neighbors are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north , Tanzania to the north-east , Malawi to the east , Mozambique to the southeast , Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south , Namibia to the southwest , and Angola to the west . The capital city is Lusaka , located in the south-central part of Zambia . The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the northwest , the core economic hubs of the country . Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples , the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century . Following European explorers in the eighteenth century , the British colonised the region into the British protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia towards the end of the nineteenth century . These were merged in 1911 to form Northern Rhodesia . For most of the colonial period , Zambia was governed by an administration appointed from London with the advice of the British South Africa Company . On 24 October 1964 , Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom and prime minister Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president . Kaunda 's socialist United National Independence Party ( UNIP ) maintained power from 1964 until 1991 . Kaunda played a key role in regional diplomacy , cooperating closely with the United States in search of solutions to conflicts in Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe ) , Angola , and Namibia . From 1972 to 1991 Zambia was a one-party state with the UNIP as the sole legal political party under the motto One Zambia , One Nation .
Moses Tanui ( born 20 August 1965 in Marakwet District , Kenya ) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo .
Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas ( born April 27 , 1965 in Cuenca , Azuay ) is a retired long-distance runner from Ecuador , who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics , starting in 1988 . He reached the top ten of the 10,000 metres at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics . He enjoyed much championship success at the regional level : he was a two-time South American Champion on the track and won gold medals at the South American Games and Bolivarian Games , as well as reaching the podium at the Ibero-American Championships and the 1987 Pan American Games . He won road running competitions on four continents and was tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships . Vera won the Saint Silvester Road Race four times consecutively in the 1980s . In 1995 he won both the Los Angeles Marathon and the Chuncheon Marathon , and he won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon two years later . At Olympic level he competed in the marathon on two occasions ( 1992 and 1996 ) . He remains the Ecuadorian record holder over 20 km and the half marathon . His personal best in the marathon is 2:10:46 - a time which brought him third at the 1990 Boston Marathon .
Ecuador ( /ˈɛkwədɔːr/ ( listen ) EK-wə-dor ; Spanish pronunciation : [ ekwaˈðoɾ ] ( listen ) ; Quechua : Ikwayur ; Shuar : Ecuador or Ekuatur ) , officially the Republic of Ecuador ( Spanish : República del Ecuador , which literally translates as Republic of the Equator ; Quechua : Ikwadur Ripuwlika ; Shuar : Ekuatur Nunka ) , is a country in northwestern South America , bordered by Colombia on the north , Peru on the east and south , and the Pacific Ocean on the west . Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific , about 1,000 kilometres ( 620 mi ) west of the mainland . The capital city is Quito , which is also its largest city . The territories of modern-day Ecuador were once home to a variety of Amerindian groups that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century . The territory was colonized by Spain during the 16th century , achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia , from which it emerged as its own sovereign state in 1830 . The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador 's ethnically diverse population , with most of its 17.1 million people being mestizos , followed by large minorities of European , Amerindian , and African descendants . Spanish is the official language and is spoken by a majority of the population , though 13 Amerindian languages are also recognized , including Quichua and Shuar . The sovereign state of Ecuador is a middle-income representative democratic republic with a developing economy that is highly dependent on commodities , namely petroleum and agricultural products . It is governed as a democratic presidential republic . One of 18 megadiverse countries in the world , Ecuador hosts many endemic plants and animals , such as those of the Galápagos Islands . In recognition of its unique ecological heritage , the new constitution of 2008 is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable Rights of Nature , or ecosystem rights . It also has the fifth lowest homicide rate in the Americas .
Paul Kibii Tergat ( born 17 June 1969 ) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner . He became the first Kenyan to set the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007 , with a time of 2:04:55 , and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time . Runnerworld called him the Most comprehensive runner of all time . Towards the end of his career he concentrated exclusively on the marathon . Tergat set several world records and won many titles on the track , in cross country , and on the road . He lives and trains in Eldoret .
Martín Pitayo Martínez ( born January 10 , 1960 ) is a retired long-distance runner from Mexico , who won the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana , Cuba . He also won the 1990 edition of the Chicago Marathon , clocking 2:09:41 .
Ethiopia ( /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/ ; Amharic : ኢትዮጵያ , ʾĪtyōṗṗyā , listen ( help·info ) , Tigrinya : ኢትዮጵያ , Oromo : Itiyoophiyaa , Somali : Itoobiya , Afar : Itiyoophiyaa ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia , is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa . It shares borders with Eritrea to the north , Djibouti to the northeast , Somalia , and the de facto state of Somaliland to the east , Kenya to the south , South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest . With over 109 million inhabitants , Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres ( 420,000 sq mi ) . Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa , which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates . Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia . It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond . According to linguists , the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era . Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BCE , Ethiopia 's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history . Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba , under its first king , Menelik I . In the first centuries , the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region , followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137 . During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa , Ethiopia and Liberia were two nations that preserved their sovereignty from long-term colonisation by a European colonial power and many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours . However , the country was later occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia ( part of Italian East Africa ) until it was liberated during World War II .
Benjamín Vencar Paredes Martínez ( born August 7 , 1961 in Ecatepec de Morelos , Estado de México ) is a retired Mexican long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon , but who also competed in duathlons , even winning a silver medal for Mexico at the ITU-world championships in Frankfurt am Main , Germany , in June 1992 .
Carsten Eich ( born 9 January 1970 ) is a retired ( East ) German runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and the marathons . He is an eight-time German champion and national record holder in the half marathon .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
Kamel Kohil ( born 25 December 1971 ) is an Algerian long-distance runner . He competed in the men 's marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics .
Algeria ( /ælˈdʒɪəriə/ ( listen ) al-JEER-ee-ə ) is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa . The capital and most populous city is Algiers , located in the far north of the country on the Mediterranean coast . With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres ( 919,595 sq mi ) , Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world , and the largest in the African Union and Arab World . With an estimated population of over 42 million , it is among the ten most populous states in Africa . Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia , to the east by Libya , to the west by Morocco , to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory , Mauritania , and Mali , to the southeast by Niger , and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea . It is a semi-presidential republic consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541 communes ( counties ) . Pre-1962 Algeria has known many empires and dynasties , including ancient Numidians , Phoenicians , Carthaginians , Romans , Vandals , Byzantines , Umayyads , Abbasids , Idrisid , Aghlabid , Rustamid , Fatimids , Zirid , Hammadids , Almoravids , Almohads , Zayyanids , Spaniards , Ottomans and , finally , the French colonial empire . Algeria is a regional and middle power . It has the highest human development index of all non-island African countries and one of the largest economies on the continent , based largely on energy exports . Algeria has the 16th largest oil reserves in the world and the second largest in Africa , while it has the ninth largest reserves of natural gas . Sonatrach , the national oil company , is the largest company in Africa , supplying large amounts of natural gas to Europe . Algeria has one of the largest militaries in Africa and the largest defence budget .
Addis Abebe ( Amharic : አዲስ አበበ ; born September 5 , 1970 ) is a former long-distance runner from Ethiopia , best known for winning a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics .
Salah Hissou ( Arabic : صلاح حيسو ) ( born January 16 , 1972 in Ait Taghia , Kasba Tadla ) is a long-distance runner from Morocco , who won the gold medal over 5000 metres at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville . With 26:38.08 he also set a world record over 10,000 metres in Brussels in 1996 and won a bronze medal over 10,000 m at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta .
South Africa , officially the Republic of South Africa ( RSA ) , is the southernmost country in Africa . It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres ( 1,739 mi ) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans ; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia , Botswana , and Zimbabwe ; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini ( Swaziland ) ; and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho . South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 24th-largest country in the world by land area and , with over 58 million people , is also the world 's 24th-most populous nation . It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere . About 80 percent of South Africans are of Bantu ancestry , divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different African languages , nine of which have official status . The remaining population consists of Africa 's largest communities of European , Asian ( Indian ) , and multiracial ( Coloured ) ancestry . South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures , languages , and religions . Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution 's recognition of 11 official languages , which is the fourth-highest number in the world . Two of these languages are of European origin : Afrikaans developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of most coloured and white South Africans ; English reflects the legacy of British colonialism , and is commonly used in public and commercial life , though it is fourth-ranked as a spoken first language . The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état , and regular elections have been held for almost a century . However , the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994 . During the 20th century , the black majority sought to claim more rights from the dominant white minority , with this struggle playing a large role in the country 's recent history and politics .