Nouria Merah-Benida ( ar, نورية مراح بنيدة) (born October 19, 1970 in Algiers) is a former

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n middle distance runner. At the 1999 All-Africa Games in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

Merah-Benida won silver medals in both

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney she won an extremely surprising gold medal ahead of Romanians

Violeta Szekely Violeta Szekely, née Beclea (born 26 March 1965, in Dolheștii Mari, Suceava County) is a Romanian former middle distance runner who competed mainly in the 1500 metres. She competed in two Olympic Games, in 1992 and 2000. She was favor ...

(silver) and Gabriela Szabo (bronze). The same year she won an 800 m silver medal and a 1500 m gold medal at the African Championships. She retired after the 2001 season.

Competition record

References

1970 births Living people Algerian female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Algeria Olympic gold medalists for Algeria Sportspeople from Algiers Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Algeria Athletes (track and field) at the 1997 Mediterranean Games African Games silver medalists for Algeria African Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 All-Africa Games 21st-century Algerian people {{Algeria-Olympic-medalist-stub