Aouita hired to revive Morocco's performance

RABAT: Moroccan former Olympic track champion Said Aouita has taken over as the country's athletics technical director, promising to restore national pride after a lackluster performance at the Beijing Olympics.

Aouita remains a hero in Morocco for his exploits in the 1980s when he broke British dominance over the men's mile and became the only man in Olympic history to win medals over both 800m and 5,000m.

That experience was what Morocco needed to revive its fortunes before the London Olympics in 2012, he said.