| Athletics at the X Pan Arab Games | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 – 8 October |
| Host city | Algiers, Algeria  |
| Venue | Stade 5 Juillet 1962 |
| Events | 45 |
| Participation | ? athletes from 20 nations |
| Records set | 11 Games records |
At the 2004 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events were held at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria from 4 to 8 October. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country topped the medal table having won a 16 gold medals and 34 medals overall. Second placed Morocco, with seven golds, had the greatest number of medals overall with a total of 35. Tunisia was third with sixteen medals in total, seven of which were gold. Eleven new Games records were set over the course of the five-day competition.
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Baya Rahouli—an Algiers native and 2004 Summer Olympics finalist—was the most successful athlete of the Games, winning four golds (100 metres, 100 metres hurdles, long jump and triple jump) and setting two Games records. [1] Seventeen-year-old Mona Jabir Adam Ahmed of Sudan won the 400 metres in personal best time, and also won a 200 metres silver. [2] Todd Matthews-Jouda, a former American athlete, appeared to break the African record in the 110 metres hurdles, but this was later revised to 13.45 seconds – a Games record regardless. [3] Hamed Hamadan Al-Bishi set a personal best for the 200 m Pan Arab title and went on to help both the Saudi Arabian relay teams to gold medals.
Algerian Nahida Touhami won two golds in the women's 800 metres and 1500 metres while long-distance compatriot Souad Aït Salem went one further, doing a 5000/10,000 metres double before taking a third gold in the half marathon. Amina Aït Hammou of Morocco won two silver medals in the women's 400 m and 800 m events. The women on the heptathlon podium all repeated their combined events medals in the individual disciplines. The event winner—Sarah Bouaoudia—set a Games record to win the high jump, runner-up Imen Chatbri took another silver in the javelin, while bronze medallist Zahra Lachguer was also third in the 400 metres hurdles.
