event weight height sport birth_date article_title
marathon kg 50 1.67 athletics 6 january 1979 souad aït salem

souad aït salem

souad aït salem -lrb- born 6 january 1979 -rrb- is an algerian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon .
she was born in mecheria .
she won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2000 african championships in athletics and the 2005 mediterranean games .
salem also won the gold in the half marathon at the 2007 all-africa games .
she holds the algerian records for every women 's event between 3000 metres and the marathon distance .
her first appearance on the world stage was in the junior race at the 1997 iaaf world cross country championships , where she finished in 98th place .
salem reached the top fifty at the 2000 and 2003 iaaf world half marathon championships .
she ran in the 5000 metres at the 2003 world championships in athletics and the 2004 summer olympics but did not progress beyond her heat in either competition .
after winning the universiade cross country competition , salem switched to the marathon distance in 2006 and the move paid off : she won the 2006 alexander the great marathon in thessaloniki .
she won the women 's race at the 13th rome marathon on 18 march 2007 .
her time was 2:25:08 hrs was a new course record .
she finished 9th in the women 's marathon at the 2008 beijing olympics , with a time of 2:28:29 hrs .
at the 2007 world championships in athletics , she finished 16th in the marathon race .
she finished sixth at the london marathon in 2008 and went on to finish in ninth place in the women 's marathon race at the 2008 beijing olympics .
after a long break from competition , she ran her first marathon in almost four years at the prague marathon .
she finished in fourth place with a time of 2:27:21 hours .
she raced in the marathon at the 2012 summer olympics , finishing in 37th place .
