Slimane Moula Secures His Ticket for the World Championships in the 800 Meters

Algerian middle-distance runner Slimane Moula qualified for the 800 meters at the upcoming World Indoor Athletics Championships, scheduled for March 20 to 22 in Torun (Poland), by achieving the necessary entry standards on Saturday during a winter meeting in Russia, where he clocked a time of 1:45.48.

The race was hotly contested, but it was the Tizi-Ouzou native who ultimately won, finishing ahead of a Kenyan (2nd in 1:45.77) and a Russian (3rd in 1:47.45).

After dedicating himself to intense preparation at the end of last year, Moula resumed competition on January 28, and his return to the track was sensational, to say the least, as he immediately succeeded in setting a new national record for the 600 meters, in 1:14.34, during the Potchefstroom International Meeting held in South Africa.

The previous national record over this distance was held by the other Algerian middle-distance star, Djamel Sedjati, who had clocked a time of 1:14.36 on March 23, 2023, also during an international meeting in South Africa.

These results confirm the return to form of the Algerian international, following several months of absence from the international stage due to recurring injuries.

He follows in the footsteps of his compatriot Mohamed Ali Gouaned, who qualified for the Torun World Indoor Championships on February 1st by winning the 800 meters at the Eure indoor meeting, held last Sunday in France, during which he clocked a time of 1:45.10.

Two other Algerian athletes aim to qualify for these World Championships, namely Haïthem Chenitef (in the 1500 meters) and Yasser Mohamed Tahar Triki (in the triple jump).

These two athletes had tried their luck on January 31 during the Miramas Métropole Indoor Meeting (France), but ultimately, they missed their entry standards by a hair's breadth.

Chenitef finished third in his race with a time of 3:38.74, and Triki finished second in his event with a jump measured at 16.70 meters, while the required standards were three minutes and thirty-six seconds for the 1500 meters, and 16.90 meters for the triple jump.

However, this is only a postponement, as these two athletes plan to enter other meetings shortly with the goal of achieving the necessary entry standards.