Hamid Ezzine

Who is Hamid Ezzine?

Hamid Ezzine is a Moroccan long-distance runner who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase.

He was born in Aït Ali as a younger brother of runner Ali Ezzine. He finished twelfth in the 5000 metres at the 2002 World Junior Championships, but then turned to the steeplechase. He finished fourth at the 2004 African Championships, won the gold medal at the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie, finished fifth at the 2006 African Championships and eleventh at the 2007 World Athletics Final. He also competed at the 2005 World Championships, the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final.

His personal best time in the steeplechase is 8:09.72 minutes, achieved in July 2007 in Athens' Olympic Stadium. Up until then he had improved steadily from 8:47.67 minutes in 2003 to 8:25.10 in 2004, 8:21.38 in 2005 and 8:19.37 in 2006. In late 2007 Ezzine was described in the official IAAF season reviews as one of that year's major beakthroughs statistically. His personal best in the 5000 metres is 14:00.6 minutes, achieved in June 2002 in Rabat.

Ezzine also finished 30th at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships, 41st at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships and 21st at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, all in the short race. This earned him a fifth place in the team competition of 2004 and a bronze medal in the team competition of 2006.