Khalid Skah

World Championships

His first major tournament on track was 1991 World Championships where he at first won a bronze in 10,000 m and then finished sixth at the 5000 m run. This was a disappointing outcome for Skah as, earlier in the season, he had won the 10000 m race in Oslo against a very strong field and had emerged as one of the favourites for the finals in Tokyo. However, for the 10 000 m final Richard Chelimo and the eventual world champion, Moses Tanui (both of Kenya) employed some very elaborate tactics and worked as a team. By the time of the 5000 m final Skah was probably tired. Yobes Ondieki (Kenya) who won the gold medal over 5000 m had expected Skah to be his major rival.

1992 Olympics

The following year, at the Barcelona [[Olympics, Chelimo met Skah again. With three laps remaining in the 10,000 m final the two athletes were clear and battling for the gold medal. At this point the pair came to lap another Moroccan athlete, Hammou Boutayeb, who stayed with the leaders even after being lapped. This act was contrary to the spirit of the competition and the crowd booed their disapproval. The rules state that a lapped runner cannot "assist" another runner but, although Boutayeb's actions were unsportsmanlike, it is not certain that there was any collusion, that Skah gained any advantage or that Chelimo was disadvantaged. These events incensed the Spanish crowd, and the Swedish track judge Carl-Gustav Tollemar attempted to stop Boutayeb but, the latter being younger, fitter and moving at speed, he was unable to.

During the final 150 m Skah sprinted away from Chelimo to win the race, and was disqualified, making Chelimo the Olympic champion. However, the Moroccans appealed against the disqualification and Skah was reinstated the next morning because the rule under which he was disqualified did not define a penalty. During the medal ceremony Skah was loudly booed by the crowd, whilst Chelimo received a standing ovation.

Other races

In 1993 Skah won the 5000 m race at the prestigious meeting in Zurich. However, he finished fifth in 5000 m at the 1993 World Championships. He ran his only world record in 2 miles (8:12.17) on the same season. He won the 1994 World Semi-Marathon Championships and finished second in 10,000 m at the 1995 World Championships.

Skah's last major international tournament was 1996 Summer Olympics, where he finished seventh in 10 000 m. In 1995, Skah was given Norwegian citizenship, where he lived and trained with athletes club B.U.L. After that, the Moroccan Athletics Association banned him from international competitions. Skah was reinstated in 2001 after which he tried a come-back to re-establish himself as one of the world's best long distance runners, finishing tenth in the World Half Marathon Championships that year.

Personal life

Khalid Skah married Norwegian interior designer Anne Cecilie Hopstock after his Barcelona triumph, and they have two children. The marriage ended in divorce after the family relocated to Morocco in 2006.

Skah lost a custody battle with his former wife in Norwegian courts, two years later, yet failed to return the children. He was indicted on kidnapping, threats, and domestic disturbance charges in Norway. By 2009, Norwegian authorities had not managed to serve Skah with the verdict. Under Norwegian law both parties must be served with the verdict, before it can be enforced, or appealed.

The two children of Skah and Cecilie Hopstock fled Morocco in July 2009. The Norwegian embassy's alleged improper sheltering of the dual-citizenship children during their escape has led to a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Skah issued a reward and filed for custody in Morocco. The former track champion maintains his innocence, claims the children were abducted and asserts that armed Norwegian commandos intruded into his home. Hopstock later confirmed she had hired off-duty naval rangers to help her sail her children out of Moroccan waters. In 2013 media said that "Bolle and one of the other men still were working in the Norwegian Armed Forces at the time [of the abduction], but no disciplinary action was leveled at them".

On 19 June 2013, Skah was arrested at Orly airport in Paris On 21 June 2013 he was released and ordered not to leave Paris until further notice. In April 2014 a French court refused a Norwegian extradition request on the grounds that the diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Norway would mean he would not get a fair trial there.

Family

Skah's sister is married to the Finnish runner Janne Holmén and lives in Uppsala, Sweden.