Iliass Aouani

Iliass Aouani
Aouani in a cross country race
Personal information
National teamItaly
Born (1995-09-29) 29 September 1995
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)
Middle-distance running
Long-distance running
College teamSyracuse Orange[2]
ClubAtletica Riccardi
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • 800 m: 1:56.08 (2013)
  • 1500 m: 3:45.61 (2019)
  • 3000 m: 8:03.49 (2019)
  • 5000 m: 13:28.09 (2021)
  • 10,000 m: 27:45.81 (2021)
  • Half Marathon: 1:01:32 (2024)
  • Marathon: 2:04:26 (2026) NR
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Italy
World Championships
2025 Tokyo Marathon
European Running Championships
2025 Brussels‑Leuven Marathon

Iliass Aouani (born 29 September 1995) is an Italian middle and long-distance runner[3] who set a new Italian national marathon record of 2:04:26 at the 2026 Tokyo Marathon.

Life and career

Born in Fquih Ben Salah, Morocco, Aouani moved to Italy when he was 2, and grew up in the Province of Milan between Sesto San Giovanni and Ponte Lambro.[4] He started running when he was 16, and in 2014, under the guidance of the former coach of Gennaro Di Napoli Claudio Valisa, he got the national junior 5000 metres title.[5] He studied at Lamar University and later at Syracuse University, earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in structural engineering.[5]

In 2021, Aouani moved to Ferrara to focus on his athletic career, training under Massimo Magnani; the same year, he won 4 national titles.[5] In 2024, he achieved the second-fastest Italian time ever at the Valencia Marathon.[4][5] In 2025, he won the gold in the men's marathon at the European Running Championships, and the bronze in the same discipline at the World Athletics Championships, 22 years after the latest Italian medallist Stefano Baldini.[6]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Rank Event Time Notes
2019 Universiade Naples 4th 10,000 m 29:41.97
5th Half marathon 1:06:52 SB
2021 European 10,000m Cup Birmingham 29th 10,000 m 29:24.42

National titles

Aouani won five national championships at individual senior level.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Iliass Aouani in Texas per Studio e Atletica" (in Italian). atleticariccardi.it. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Iliass Aouani - Track and Field". Syracuse University Athletics.
  3. ^ "Iliass Aouani - Profile". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b Marino, Tiziano (15 September 2025). "Chi è Iliass Aouani, l'ingegnere che ha vinto il bronzo nella maratona ai Mondiali di Tokyo". Men's Health (in Italian). Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Chi è Iliass Aouani: l'ingegnere con origini marocchine che ha riportato l'Italia sul podio nella maratona mondiale". Eurosport. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  6. ^ Giuliano, Antonio (15 September 2025). "Maratona. L'atletica azzurra non è affatto finita: segnatevi il nome di Iliass Aouani". Avvenire (in Italian). Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  7. ^ "TUTTI I CAMPIONI ITALIANI 1906-2021" (PDF). sportolimpico.it. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  8. ^ "10.000: Aouani e Merlo campioni a Molfetta" (in Italian). fidal.it. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Mezza: Aouani e Epis campioni italiani". fidal.it (in Italian). 2 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.