2016 Human Of The Year: Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
2016 Human Of The Year: Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, 2016 human of the year.
At the 2008 Olympics, Churandy Martina and Wallace Spearmon crossed the finish line in the 200m in second and third. Spearmon was disqualified for stepping on the line, and when American officials watched the replay, they saw that Martina stepped on the line too, and both were DQ'd. That meant that fourth-place Shawn Crawford would get the silver medal that originally was Martina's. But that summer, Crawford decided that the medal rightfully belonged to Martina, and handed it back to him at the Zurich meet.
French steeplechaser Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad shares Crawford's taste for antics. Crawford once raced in a Phantom of the Opera mask at a real meet and raced a zebra and giraffe on television, beating the giraffe and losing to the zebra. Benabbad loves fighting mascots (and occasionally humans) and was once disqualified from a race that he won for taking his shirt off on the last lap.
Mekhissi-Benabbad does not share Crawford's opinion about earning and sharing medals. In this summer's Olympic steeplechase, Ezekiel Kemboi crossed the line three full seconds ahead of Benabbad, 8:08.57 to to 8:11.52. But after a protest from the French federation, Benabbad was elevated to bronze and Kemboi was disqualified for stepping on the line. Here's a photo from a Kenyan newspaper:
Immediately after the race, Kemboi, the greatest steeplechaser of all time, retired. But when his medal was stripped, Kemboi announced that he was unretiring. Instead of handing over a cheaply unearned medal, Benabbad took Kemboi to task:
And God bless him. Track could use a few more Mahiedine-Mekhissi Benabbads. Hopefully the mascots will be spared.
French steeplechaser Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad shares Crawford's taste for antics. Crawford once raced in a Phantom of the Opera mask at a real meet and raced a zebra and giraffe on television, beating the giraffe and losing to the zebra. Benabbad loves fighting mascots (and occasionally humans) and was once disqualified from a race that he won for taking his shirt off on the last lap.
Mekhissi-Benabbad does not share Crawford's opinion about earning and sharing medals. In this summer's Olympic steeplechase, Ezekiel Kemboi crossed the line three full seconds ahead of Benabbad, 8:08.57 to to 8:11.52. But after a protest from the French federation, Benabbad was elevated to bronze and Kemboi was disqualified for stepping on the line. Here's a photo from a Kenyan newspaper:
Immediately after the race, Kemboi, the greatest steeplechaser of all time, retired. But when his medal was stripped, Kemboi announced that he was unretiring. Instead of handing over a cheaply unearned medal, Benabbad took Kemboi to task:
Mekhissi Mahiedine on protest & DQ of Kemboi for #bronze medal "What I do regret is judges did not do their work" pic.twitter.com/Ire90NqEy8
— Chris Lotsbom (@ChrisLotsbom) August 26, 2016
"I'm sad of Ezekiel but he did make the mistake... They are rules. If it had been the other way, Kenya would have disqualified me."
— Chris Lotsbom (@ChrisLotsbom) August 26, 2016
"There are rules, we have to follow rules, not to cheat... [compares to football] Maradona put goal with hand. He cheated. I did not cheat"
— Chris Lotsbom (@ChrisLotsbom) August 26, 2016
And God bless him. Track could use a few more Mahiedine-Mekhissi Benabbads. Hopefully the mascots will be spared.