DIARY OF AN ATHLETE

Written by Trackandmemes, February 23, 2023

Maryam Amellal, nicknamed "Mama", was 50 years old when she set all the records in Belgium. First in the 400m in 62'' 76, then in the 200m in 28'' 38 before renewing her own Master 400m record in 62'' 57. A form that does not go unnoticed and a motivation that remains intact since Mama runs since 1992.

DANS TA JEUNESSE, TU PRÉFORMAIS À QUEL NIVEAU ?

At the time, my discipline was the 400 hurdles. I had a record of 59:27. I could have gone faster, but there were not as many hurdle competitions as there are today. I was several times Francophone champion in 400 hurdles and top 5 at the Belgian championships.

TU T’ENTRAÎNES DEPUIS 30 ANNÉES POUR ESSAYER D’ATTEINDRE TON EXCELLENCE, MAIS D’OÙ VIENT CETTE MOTIVATION ACHARNÉE ?

I myself can't give an explanation. Often I like to say that it is pure passion. Because I have been training with the same motivation, the same rigor and the same requirement for all these years.

COMMENT AS-TU GÉRÉ TA GROSSESSE AVEC L’ATHLÉTISME ?

The only time I stopped athletics was when I was pregnant. But I kept up the bodyweight strength training until I was 8 months pregnant. Then I put my sneakers back on 6 weeks after I gave birth.

Before I was a mom, I was in my chair most of the time. Now, before arriving at a competition or a training session, I do my muscular awakening with my son...

Y A-T-IL EU UN CHANGEMENT ENTRE TA FAÇON DE T’ENTRAÎNER PLUS JEUNE, ET MAINTENANT ?

There hasn't been much change. I still train five to six times a week. The only thing that has changed is the distances on the track. I used to do a lot of 500m as preparation... But I don't have the energy for that anymore.🤣

LES RECORDS MASTERS OUTDOOR SONT-ILS ACTUELLEMENT DANS TA LIGNE DE MIRE ?

The Master 50 records are really fast. You have to do 13'22 for 100m, 26'82 for 200m, 42'96 for 300m and 59'88 for 400m. For the 300m hurdles, we should go for a record of 49'16. So we'll see... If I can beat a distance again, I'll be really happy.