Mohamed Katir

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Mohamed Katir

| image = Mohamed Katir (ESP) 2022.jpg

| caption = Katir at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene

| full_name = Mohamed Katir El Haouzi

| nationality = Spanish

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|2|17|df=y}}{{iaaf name|14642046}}

| birth_place = Ksar el-Kebir, Morocco

| height = 1.78m

| weight = 61kg

| country = Spain

| sport = Athletics

| event = Middle-, Long-distance running, Cross country running

| club = Playas de Castellón

| coach = Gabriel Lorente

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{ESP}}}}

}}

Mohamed "Mo" Katir El Haouzi (born 17 February 1998) is a middle- and long-distance runner. Born in Morocco and raised in Spain, he won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Katir took silver in the 5000 metres at the 2022 European Championships.

Katir holds three Spanish records (1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m), is a two-time national champion, and is the European indoor record holder for the 3000 metres.

Katir is currently serving two, concurrent competition bans in relation to anti-doping rule violations due to expire in February 2026 and February 2028 respectively.

Biography

Born in Ksar el-Kebir, Morocco, Mohamed Katir was raised in Mula, Murcia, Spain since he was 5 years old.{{Cite web |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/deportes/20210206/6227564/mohamed-katir-quiero-vivir-atletismo-creo-posible.html |website=La Vanguardia |title=Mohamed Katir: "Quiero vivir del atletismo y creo que va a ser posible" |date=6 February 2021 |lang=es}}{{cite web |url=https://www.elmundo.es/deportes/juegos-olimpicos/2021/07/15/60eef1e4fc6c83f34e8b460f.html |website=El Mundo |title=Mohamed Katir, el repentino fenómeno español del mediofondo que ya aspira al oro en Tokio: lee poesía, entrena en un descampado y su padre llegó en patera |first=Lucas |last=Sáez Bravo |date=15 July 2021 |lang=es}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.es/deportes/abci-mohamed-katir-melena-viento-y-alma-poeta-202107110059_noticia.html |website=ABC |title=Mohamed Katir: melena al viento y alma de poeta |first=Javier |last=Asprón |date=11 July 2021 |lang=es}} While Katir had previously run as a Spaniard in youth competitions and won a Spanish national cross championship,{{Cite web |url=https://www.parainmigrantes.info/nacionalidad-mohamed-katir-atleta/ |website=Parainmigrantes |title=Mohamed Katir: el atleta que lleva esperando 3 años su nacionalidad |date=4 March 2019 |lang=es}} he acquired Spanish citizenship in October 2019, after a 4-year long process.{{cite web |url=https://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/deportes/2019/10/29/mohamed-katir-espanol/1063955.html |title=Mohamed Katir ya es español |first=Dioni |last=García |date=29 October 2019 |website=La Opinión de Murcia |lang=es}}

In May 2021, Katir won his first Diamond League event, securing victory in the 5000 metres at the Grand Prix Gateshead in United Kingdom. In June and July, he broke three long-standing Spanish national records in just a 33-day span at the Diamond League meetings. First on 10 June, he ran a new 5000 m record of 12:50.79 at the Golden Gala in Florence, Italy.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-10 |title=Wanda Diamond League {{!}} Asics Firenze Marathon Stadium Luigi Ridolfi – 10 June 2021 {{!}} Result lists |url=https://www.diamondleague.com/fileadmin/IDL_Zurich/user_upload/Results_Rome_2021.pdf |access-date=2021-06-10 |website=Diamond League |page=2 }} Less than a month later, at the Herculis meet in Monaco, he set Spanish record in the 1500 metres, finishing second behind only 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot who set a personal best in the race. Katir's 3:28.76 ranked him as the 10th fastest of all time, just eight hundreds of a second off the European record.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-09 |title=Wanda Diamond League {{!}} Stade Louis II - Monaco (MON) – 9 July 2021 {{!}} Result lists |url=https://www.diamondleague.com/fileadmin/IDL_Zurich/user_upload/Results_Monaco_2021.pdf |access-date=2021-07-10 |website=Diamond League |page=2 }}{{Cite web |date=2021-07-10 |title=Muir motors to 1:56.73 victory over 800m in Monaco |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/muir-motors-to-1-56-73-victory-over-800m-in-monaco |access-date=2021-07-10 |website=European Athletics |language=en}} Four days after that, he won the 3000 metres in Gateshead, United Kingdom with a time of 7:27.64, breaking Haile Gebrselassie meet record in the process. His time ranked him as 15th of all time at that distance.{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-07-13 |title=2021 British Grand Prix Recap: Mohamed Katir (7:27) Wins Big Again, Trayvon Bromell (9.98) Back in Form in Final Diamond League Before Olympics |url=https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/07/2021-british-grand-prix-recap-mohamed-katir-728-wins-big-again-trayvon-bromell-9-98-back-in-form-in-final-diamond-league-before-olympics/ |access-date=2021-07-13 |website=LetsRun.com |language=en}} At the end of the year, Katir won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10 kilometres road race in Madrid, setting yet another national best mark and becoming the first domestic winner of this race since 2003.{{Cite web |date=2 January 2022 |title=Katir and Klosterhalfen provide the New Year's Eve highlights |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/katir-and-klosterhalfen-highlight-new-year-s-eve-action-with-fast-10km-performances |access-date=2 January 2022 |website=European Athletics |language=en}}

On 15 February 2023, Katir set the European indoor 3000 m record at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin (in a race where Lamecha Girma set a world record) with a time of 7:24.68, slicing more than six seconds off the previous mark held by Adel Mechaal since 2022. His time surpassed the European outdoor 3000 m record of 7:26.62 and was inside the previous world indoor record of 7:24.90 set by Daniel Komen in 1998.{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Jason |date=15 February 2023 |title=Girma takes down Komen's world 3000m record in Liévin |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/event-reports/girma-takes-down-komens-world-3000m-record-in-lievin-1039965114/ |access-date=15 February 2023 |website=AW |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Rowbottom |first=Mike |date=15 February 2023 |title=European record! Katir clocks 7:24.68 for 3000m in record-breaking race in Lievin |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/european-record-katir-clocks-7-24-68-for-3000m-in-record-breaking-race-in-lievin |access-date=15 February 2023 |website=European Athletics |language=en}}

Doping violations

On 7 February 2024 it was announced that Katir had been provisionally suspended by the AIU for whereabouts failures due to missing three doping tests in a twelve month period.{{cite news |date=2024-02-07 |title=World 5,000m silver medallist Katir suspended for doping test violation |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/athletics/world-5000m-silver-medallist-katir-suspended-doping-test-violation-2024-02-07/ |accessdate=2024-02-07 |work=Reuters |publisher=Reuters}} On 16 February 2024 he admitted the rules violations and is now serving a two year competition ban due to expire on 6 February 2026.{{Cite web |last=Carveth |first=Jessy |date=2024-02-08 |title=Two-Time Word Medalist Mo Katir Suspended For Whereabouts Failure |url=https://marathonhandbook.com/mo-katir-suspension/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Marathon Handbook |language=en-US}}{{cite web |url=https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/other/AIU-PRESS-RELEASE-KATIR-BANNED-FOR-WHEREABOUTS-FAILURES.pdf |title=KATIR BANNED FOR 'WHEREABOUTS FAILURES' |publisher=Athletics Integrity Unit |date=16 February 2024 |accessdate=18 February 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/68319947 |title=Mohamed Katir: World 5,000m silver medallist given two-year ban for anti-doping rule violation |publisher=BBC News |date=17 February 2024 |accessdate=18 February 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/two-year-ban-for-mo-katir-after-missing-drugs-tests-1039975431/ |title=Two-year ban for Mo Katir after missing drugs tests |date=16 February 2024 |first=Jason |last=Henderson |work=Athletics Weekly |access-date=15 July 2024}}

In December 2024 Katir was given a further four-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation, to run concurrently with his existing ban and expire on 6 February 2028, for breaching tampering rules.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/articles/clyv93r25jyo|title=World silver medallist Katir handed four-year ban|date=20 December 2024 |publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=20 December 2024}} He admitted that he had falsified travel documents submitted during the investigation into his first whereabouts failure in February 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/athletics/katir-banned-four-years-after-falsifying-documents-whereabouts-failure-probe-2024-12-20/|title=Katir banned for four years after falsifying documents in whereabouts failure probe|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=20 December 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/mohamed-katir-banned-for-four-years-for-tampering-1039995843/|title=Mohamed Katir banned for four years for tampering|date=20 December 2024 |publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=20 December 2024}}

Achievements

=International competitions=

rowspan=2|2021

|European Indoor Championships

|Toruń, Poland

|4th

|3000 m

|7:49.72

Olympic Games

|Tokyo, Japan

|8th

|5000 m

|13:06.60

rowspan=3|2022

|World Championships

|Eugene, United States

|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd

|1500 m

|3:29.90

European Championships

|Munich, Germany

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|5000 m

|13:22.98

European Cross Country Championships

|Turin, Italy

|9th

|XC 9.572 km

|30:06

rowspan=3|2023

|European Games

|Chorzów, Poland

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|1500 m

|3:36.95

rowspan=2|World Championships

|rowspan=2|Budapest, Hungary

|16th (sf)

|1500 m

|3:33.56

bgcolor=silver|2nd

|5000 m

|13:11.44

=Circuit wins, and National titles=

Diamond League
2021 (5000 m): Gateshead Grand Prix ({{AthAbbr|PB}}), Gateshead British Grand Prix ({{AthAbbr|MR}} {{AthAbbr|NR}})
2023 (5000 m): Florence Golden Gala ({{AthAbbr|WL}})
Spanish Athletics Championships
5000 metres: 2022
Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships
3000 metres: 2019

=Personal bests=

800 metres – 1:51.84 (Madrid 2019)
1500 metres – 3:28.76 (Monaco 2021) {{AthAbbr|NR|Spanish}}
1500 metres indoor – 3:34.32 (Madrid 2023)
3000 metres – 7:27.64 (Gateshead 2021) {{AthAbbr|NR|Spanish}}
3000 metres indoor – 7:24.68 (Liévin 2023) European record
5000 metres – 12:45.01 (Monaco 2023) {{AthAbbr|AR|European}} {{AthAbbr|NR|Spanish}}