Hicham El Guerrouj makes the most of his talent in the meets. He is the worthy successor to Aouita. The El Guerrouj era begins with the end of the reign of Morceli. He knocks down Morceli's records. Thus is athletics done.
Records are made to be broken, say the experts.
Morceli suffers a cutting defeat at Seville, abandons and heads for the locker room, like Aouita in 1991. Whatever the causes, Morceli's page has turned and the 1500 remains a Maghrebian property. One must ask if the rebirth is really assured. For, long buoyed by the the exploits of the master and the queen of track, Morceli and Boulmerka, one quickly forgot that glory is ephemeral and supremacy can not last forever. Today, one speaks of the rise of Baya Rahouli in the triple jump, of Abderrahmane Hammad in the high jump, and of Said Guerni in the 800m, the very same who just yesterday gave us a bronze medal.