Taoufik Makhloufi

Taoufik Makhloufi (Arabic: توفيق مخلوفي‎; born 29 April 1988) is an Algerian athlete who specialises in middle-distance running. He became the 1500 metres Olympic champion at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. In 2016, Makhloufi took the silver medal in the 800m and 1500 m at the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.[2]

Taoufik Makhloufi
Makhloufi in 2013
Personal information
Native nameتوفيق مخلوفي
NationalityAlgerian
Born (1988-04-29) 29 April 1988
Souk Ahras, Algeria
Height176 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight70 kg (154 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryAlgeria
SportAthletics
Event(s)Middle-distance running
ClubGS Pétroliers
Coached byJama Aden (2012–12) ; Philippe Dupont (2015–)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 800 m: 1:42.61 NR (2016)
  • 1000 m: 2:13.08 NR (2015)
  • 1500 m: 3:28.75 PB (2015)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Algeria
Olympic Games
2012 London1500 m
2016 Rio de Janeiro800 m
2016 Rio de Janeiro1500 m
World Championships
2019 Doha1500 m
African Games
2011 Maputo800 m
2015 Brazzaville800 m
2011 Maputo1500 m
African Championships
2012 Porto Novo800 m
2014 Marrakech800 m

He was also the 800 metres gold medallist at the 2012 African Championships and the 2011 All-Africa Games. He has represented Algeria three times at the World Championships in Athletics. His personal bests are 1.42.61 minutes for the 800 m, set at the Rio Olympics, and 3:28.75 minutes for the 1500 metres.[3] He trains with GS Pétroliers.[4]

Career

Born in Souk Ahras, Makhloufi made his international debut at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he finished 82nd in the 8 km junior race.[5] He began competing at the senior level in 2009 and at the 2009 Mediterranean Games he placed fourth in the 1500 metres.[6] An appearance at the Golden Gala meeting followed soon after and he ran a personal best of 3:34.34 minutes. He won his first national title that year and represented his country at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, where he was a semi-finalist.[3] In 2010 he improved his best to 3:32.94 minutes at the Herculis meeting and ranked among the top twenty that year.[7] He reached the 1500 m final at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics, but failed to finish.[8]

Makhloufi's fastest run of 2011 (3:34.4 minutes) came at a national meeting in Algiers and he competed twice on the 2011 Diamond League circuit (in Doha and Stockholm). After taking his second Algerian 1500 m title, he was again selected for the World Championships team and again reached the semi-final stage.[3] It was at the 2011 All-Africa Games that he made his international breakthrough. He won the 1500 m bronze medal behind Kenyan opposition, then defeated the much more favoured Boaz Kiplagat Lalang in the 800 metres final to take his first continental gold medal.[9][10]

Following this success he began to compete more frequently in the 800 m in the 2012 season. His first 1500 m race of the season was a runner-up finish at the Rabat Meeting and he improved his 800 m best to 1:44.88 minutes in Stockholm.[11] Building upon his previous African title, a tactical mistake by the leading Kenyan runners helped Makhloufi win the 800 m title at the 2012 African Championships in Athletics, setting a personal best of 1:43.88 minutes in the process.[12] On 20 July he set a new personal best at the 1500 m at Herculis meeting in Monaco with a time 3:30.80.

He achieved the qualifying standard for the 1500 m and 800 m and was entered in both races at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He reached the 1500 m final after winning his heat and semi-final. The Algerian Olympic Association had failed to withdraw him from the 800 m event, which he no longer wished to compete in, and he was forced to enter the race. Makhloufi slowed and dropped out in the early stages of his 800 m – a performance that led to him being disqualified from the Games as the IAAF referee "considered that he had not provided a bona fide effort". However, he was re-instated after producing an independent medical certificate showing that an ailment had hampered his efforts.[13] The following day, Makhloufi won the 1500 m Olympic final with a time of 3:34.08 minutes.[14] This performance surprised critics given his previous medical statement and the quality of the field. Makhloufi explained that his improvements stemmed from a change of coach and his intensive training that year.[15][16]

On 1 July 2015, he won the European Athletics Classic meet 1000m in Tomblaine, France in a new Algerian record of 2:13.08.[17]

On 15 August 2016, he set a new personal best and Algerian record in the 800m final at the Olympic Games in Rio with a time of 1:42:61 finishing second behind David Rudisha from Kenya.[18]

Achievements
Makhloufi (left) competing on 1500 m in Zagreb, 2012
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Algeria
2007 World Cross Country Championships Mombasa, Kenya 82nd Junior race
2009 Mediterranean Games Pescara, Italy 4th 1500 m 3:39.37
World Championships Berlin, Germany 17th (sf) 1500 m 3:37.87
2010 African Championships Nairobi, Kenya 12th 1500 m DNF
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 24th (sf) 1500 m 3:50.86
All-Africa Games Maputo, Mozambique 1st 800 m 1:46:32
3rd 1500 m 3:39.99
2012 African Championships Porto Novo, Benin 1st 800 m 1:43.88
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 1st 1500 m 3:34.08
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 4th 1500 m 3:34.76
African Games Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo 2nd 800 m 1:50.72
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2nd 800 m 1:42.61 NR
2nd 1500 m 3:50.11
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 1500 m 3:31.38

References
  1. "Taoufik MAKHLOUFI". olympicchannel.com. Olympic Channel Services. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  3. Makhloufi, Taoufik. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 July 2012.
  4. "Taoufik Makhloufi". London2012.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  5. "2007 World Cross Country Championships". World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  6. "2009 Mediterranean Games Men's 1500 metres". Pescara2009.it. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  7. 1500 Metres 2010. IAAF (3 December 2010). Retrieved on 2 July 2012.
  8. "2010 African Championships Men's 1500. 2010 Nairobi". Dbresults.net. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  9. "All-Africa Games – Jeux Africains, Maputo (Mozambique) 11-15/9". Africathle.com. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  10. Makori, Elias (15 September 2011). From Daegu to Maputo, Jeylan and Montsho rule! – All Africa Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 July 2012.
  11. "Taoufik Makhloufi". Diamondleague.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  12. Watta, Evelyn (30 June 2012). Montsho and Makwala take 400m titles in Porto-Novo – African champs, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 July 2012.
  13. "London 2012 Olympics: Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi reinstated into Olympic 1500m final after being thrown out for lack of effort at 800m". Telegraph.co.uk. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  14. "Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi wins 1,500 gold medal". Washington Post. Associated Press. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  15. Robert Kitson (7 August 2012). "Taoufik Makhloufi wins Olympic gold 24 hours after disqualification". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  16. Simon Turnbull (9 August 2012). "Makhloufi's miracle 1500m win met with growing scepticism". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
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