He is one of the great references of Spanish athletics after the two medals won in the European and the World Cup, but he admits that he suffers rejection for being born in Morocco
The bronze medal won at the World Cup and the silver medal won at the recent European Championships in Munich have made Mohamed Katir one of the great references in Spanish athletics, no matter how much it weighs on some who put the fact that he was born in Morocco before the fact that he who has been living in our country since he was five years old and has grown up and been trained here. Faced with this situation, Katir's response has been to proclaim to the four winds his pride in being from Mula, the Murcian municipality where he lives, and to continue working to achieve new successes. It is the recipe that he has used to reach this moment of success, despite the difficulties that he has been encountering in his life.
“Every day I have found myself rejected because of my origin,” the athlete confessed with regret a few days ago in an interview with the EFE agency. It can't be easy to face something like that, but he tries to ignore those "bad vibes", as he defines them, and focus on the people who motivate him and his career. In this way, he has managed to sign an unforgettable summer, obtaining bronze in the 1,500-meter World Cup event – no Spanish athlete has achieved it since 1999 – and silver in the 5,000-meter European Championship with the best time (13:22.98 ) national in that test in the history of the continental event. Katir's qualities already appeared last year, when, in just 33 days, he managed to break three national records: the 1,500 meter, held by Fermín Cacho; that of 3,000 meters, held by Isaac Viciosa; and the 5,000,
After passing the 3,000 meter mark, Mohamed had to listen to how Viciosa stated the following: "Perhaps it is not politically correct, but I would like to say that I would have liked the record to have been broken by an athlete with Castilian surnames." Katir did not hesitate to answer, emphasizing his ancestors: “For those who do not know whose surname is, it belongs to a great man, of Moroccan origin. My great motivation, an example to follow, my grandfather Mailud Katir. This man has had to work hard, since he was five years old he has suffered in life due to war issues. Now you can gather all the old school, there is no comparison with this man. It is an honor to carry your last name, grandfather, it is only the beginning.
Katir could have competed with Morocco because he was born there, but he was always clear that he wanted to do it for the country where he has lived since he was a child: “I feel one hundred percent Spanish. I have grown up and studied here, I have spent my whole life here, my career as an athlete has been forged here, even though I was born in Morocco. I want to compete as a Spaniard and only as a Spaniard. I don't care if people say I wasn't born here or that I don't have to take up the flag. The one who runs is me, not someone else. If I represent a country it is because I am proud”.
Born in 1998 in the Moroccan town of Alcazarquivir, the athlete arrived in Spain when he was five years old with his mother, of Egyptian origin. They initially settled in Huesca, where they met Mohamed's father, who had arrived some time before from Morocco looking for a better job future. He dedicated the bronze won in the World Cup to him: “He suffered a lot for me to be here. This medal is yours. Thanks to him I can dedicate myself to athletics”. The young Mohamed began to play football in the quarry of the Huesca Sports Society, but he soon realized that, despite the fact that he ran a lot, the ball was not his thing. His life changed when the family moved to the town of Mula. There, at the age of 11, he appeared in a school race, in which he was first with a minute of advantage, beating competitors who were federated. That test was witnessed by Cristobal Carlos Ramírez, head of the Mula Sport club, who immediately spoke with his parents to tell them that the boy had the conditions to dedicate himself to athletics.
And so, in a town that did not have an athletics track, having to train in open fields, cross country and on the paths of the Murcian orchard, Katir began his stage as an athlete. When he had been training for just over three weeks, he had already participated in a regional championship and finished fourth. Little by little he was standing out and achieving great results. He became four times Spanish cross country champion, but in those years he encountered another problem. Not having Spanish nationality, his name did not appear as the official winner nor did he receive recognition of his success. “I came home and my father congratulated me on having won, but they didn't give me the medal and I felt terrible. I was crying for hours. It was hard, very hard, when you won and you saw that the one who had finished second took the medal from you. It felt very bad, although I knew that one day I would have the nationality; it was a matter of patience. But if it happens to someone who doesn't have a cool head and a sane mind..., I think he would have left the sport”.
Katir requested nationalization in 2015, but it was not granted until December 31, 2019. Four years in which he lost the possibility of competing in European and World Championships, in which he did not obtain many trophies that in fairness corresponded to him, like the gold in the Spanish Championship of 3,000 meters on the indoor track that he won months before receiving the go-ahead to be officially considered Spanish. With the papers already in order, the athlete faced another important change in 2020. He left the one who had been his coach until then to go on to train with a young coach, Gabriel Ruiz, with whom his definitive explosion at the international level has come. In this he has surely helped the concentrations that he usually holds in the Granada ski resort of Sierra Nevada, the perfect place to prepare for the big dates. He likes him so much that his acquaintances already know him as "the monk of Sierra Nevada".
Lover of introspection, "I talk to myself in meditation, I take my time before making a decision", fond of reading Antonio Machado, writing poetry, which he shows from time to time on his social networks, and also boxing and soccer, this Spaniard named Mohamed is determined to continue conquering metals and marks for national athletics. And, when he does, he will continue to proudly display the flag of what he feels is his country, no matter how much some continue to deny him. This statement that he made in an interview in Público could be addressed to them : "To a greater or lesser extent, and if we read history correctly over time, absolutely all of us are migrants."
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