Chérif Baba Aidara

{{Short description|Mauritanian middle-distance runner (born 1967)}}

Chérif Baba Aidara (born 22 November 1967) is a Mauritanian middle-distance runner.

Aidara competed in two Summer Olympics. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, he entered the 800 metres race and finished 6th out of eight runners in his heat, failing to qualify for the next round.{{World Athletics}} Two years later at the 1994 Francophone Games, Aidara competed in the 400 metres, placing 6th in his heat and failing to advance to the semi-finals by two places.[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6437079j/f20.image.r= ]{{cite journal|title=Jeux de la Francophonie: Le dernier mot aux Français.|journal=L'Athlétisme |publisher=Fédération française d'athlétisme|volume=8/1994|pages=21–22|language=French}}

In the 800 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics, he finished 7th in his heat and again did not qualify for the next round.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ai/cherif-baba-aidara-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418113143/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ai/cherif-baba-aidara-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-18|title=Chérif Baba Aidara Bio, Stats, and Results|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-14}} His 1996 time of 1:56.20 was a personal best.{{Olympedia}}{{Tilastopaja|98251}}

He also competed at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in the 800 metres, where he finished 8th in his heat and did not advance to the next round.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/mauritania/cherif-baba-aidara-8110#honours|title=IAAF: Cherif Baba AIDARA {{!}} Profile|website=iaaf.org|access-date=2018-05-14}} His performance was the best national placing ever by a Mauritanian.{{cite web|url=https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/c36ff61e-f89f-4205-a873-8f3dff0fff67.pdf|page=581|title=Daegu 2011 {{!}} Best National Placings / Men|website=World Athletics}}

Aidara became a masters athlete later in his life. In March 2004, he won the master's 10K run at the Germany-Mauritania Friendship Half Marathon in Nouakchott.{{Cite web|url=https://www.africathle.com/perso/perf/032004.html|title=Germany-Mauritania friendship half-marathon, Nouakchott (Mauritania) 12/03|website=africathle.com|access-date=10 April 2025}}