As we look ahead to 2023, one thing is certain: this year featured extraordinary accomplishments and remarkable people who have left an indelible mark on the world.

2022: A Year of Unprecedented Achievements by Prominent Moroccan Personalities

Rabat- As we look ahead to 2023, one thing is certain: this year featured extraordinary accomplishments and remarkable people who have left an indelible mark on the world.

As we move into the new year, let’s explore the stories of the individuals who pushed the boundaries of what was thought to be impossible, each bringing their own unique gifts to the world.

On this occasion, Morocco World News is celebrating the achievements of the Moroccan personalities who shape the future.

Golfer Ines Laklalech: First Moroccan, Arab, LPGA Tour member

Moroccan golfer Ines Laklalech

Moroccan golfer Ines Laklalech has undoubtedly made 2022 memorable for golfers worldwide. Laklalech is the first Moroccan and Arab golfer to become a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the world’s largest professional golfing association for women.

The young golfer secured her 2023 LPGA card by competing in the LPGA Q-Series at Highland Oaks in Dothan, Alabama in December.

The Moroccan trailblazer will inspire athletes who aim to represent Morocco on an international scale.

However, such achievements have not come easily, Laklalech has put in years of hard work and dedication to overcome various obstacles on her path to elite golf.

After a playoff round against England’s Meghan MacLaren, the golfer became the first Moroccan, Arab, and North African woman to win the ladies’ European tour on September 17 at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France in Deauville.

Soufiane El Bakkali Africa’s Best Male Athlete of 2022

Moroccan runner and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali

Moroccan runner and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, has also made sporting history after he was named Africa’s best male athlete in 2022.

Selected by The Confederation of African Athletics in December. The Moroccan runner triumphed over Kenya’s long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge and middle-distance runner Emmanuel Korir.

El Bakkali achieved remarkable victories this year, earning him well-deserved international recognition. He has also made history by becoming the first Moroccan to bring home a gold medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase competition.

In July, the Moroccan runner was crowned world champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase event in the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene in the US and brought home Morocco’s first medal in this year’s competition.

The Moroccan runner became notorious in May when he won the gold medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the first phase of the 2022 Doha Wanda Diamond League, making history once more.

Walid Regragui: Morocco’s hero at Qatar 2022

Morocco’s national football head coach Walid Regragui

Morocco’s national football team manager, Walid Regragui, is the first coach to lead an African- Arab team to a World Cup semi-final.

Regragui made history in a short period of time as he took over as coach of the Atlas Lions just three months before the 2022 World Cup began.

The head coach received a second-class Order of the Throne Wissam (commander) from King Mohammed VI for successfully leading the Atlas Lions throughout the global tournament.

In December, FIFA named Regragui “Morocco’s hero at Qatar 2022,” as he served as a “magic formula” component that led to Morocco’s historic qualification to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

He was lauded for his ability to motivate his players, unite them, bring stability to the changing room, and repair the cracks that had formed in the team prior to his appointment.

In the same month, Regragui was nominated for the 2022 Best Coach award from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

The Moroccan mother Teresa

Moroccan activist Aicha Chenna

The iconic and influential Moroccan activist Aicha Chenna, known as the “Moroccan mother Teresa,” deserves recognition for devoting her life to helping others.

Chenna was an activist well-known for her initiatives aimed at empowering women, particularly single mothers. She founded the Solidarity of Women organization, which was the first of its kind to provide training to empower single mothers.

Although Chenna passed away in September at a hospital in Casablanca she managed to touch many lives in her time and leave her legacy behind.

The Moroccan activist was honored by several international, independent, and governmental organizations, including the EU.

Chenna received the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Social Accountability Award for the MENA region in 2015 in recognition of her active and dynamic contribution to promoting social accountability in Morocco.

Meanwhile, in 2013, she was awarded by France’s Legion of Honor for her years of service and dedication to supporting single mothers throughout Morocco.

Morocco’s “Supercop” Abdellatif Hammouchi

Head of Morocco’s National Directorate of National Security (DGSN) Abdellatif Hammouchi

Head of Morocco’s National Directorate of National Security (DGSN) Abdellatif Hammouchi, is reportedly known to be “gifted” with extraordinary analytical abilities with his special focus on Moroccan-based jihadist groups.

Hammouchi was appointed director of the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) in 2005, at the age of 39, becoming Morocco’s youngest head of intelligence and ranking him among the world’s youngest in the role.

The security specialist has received national and international recognition for the reform and incredible effectiveness of Morocco’s DGST and DGSN.

News magazine Jeune Afrique described Hammouchi as a “supercop” in 2019.

While the Italian Daily II Post referred to Hammouchi as “the super-agent fighting Islamist extremism,” describing him as “powerful, respected, and controversial,” drawing a likeness between him and a “movie character.”

Younes Gharbi the best Quran reciter
Visually impaired Moroccan Quran reciter Younes Gharbi won the international Saudi competition “Otr Elkalam” for his remarkable reading of the religious text.

The Moroccan reciter won a prize of SAR 5 million ($1.3 million) in April.

Gharbi gained international attention for memorizing the entire Quran through hearing and repetition.

At the age of 11, he memorized the Quran with the assistance of his blind father, Mustapha Gharbi who is known as the Sheikh of reciters.

Gharbi excels in Quranic competitions because of his early exposure and dedication to the Quran.

Morocco’s Wonder Girl
Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer Amira Tahri known as the “wonder girl” has claimed six world championship titles at only 13 years of age.

The rising kickboxing star secured the title after defeating Laura Machtelinckx as part of the Glory Rivals 3 on November 5 at the Sporthallen Zuid Sports complex in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Amira Tahri posing with the world championship belt following her win

Amira Tahri posing with the world championship belt following her win

Tahri won her fifth world championship title in November 2021 after defeating French rival Shaina Moniek in the Abu Dhabi World Cup Final.

The young athlete was born in 2009, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands to Moroccan parents. She began kickboxing at the age of six and chose to represent Morocco.

A documentary about the young Moroccan actor was produced in 2022 by director Elza Jo Tratlehner.

Atlas Lionesses captain
Captain of the Atlas Lionesses Ghizlane Chebbak stands out among female football stars on the African continent, as she helped Morocco qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup for the first time in history.

Atlas Lionesses captain Ghizlane Chebbak

Chebbak successfully led the Atlas Lionesses to second place in the 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) thanks to her exceptional skills and performance.

In July, Morocco’s captain Chebbak was featured in the final list of female African footballers nominated for the “Player of the Year” CAF 2022 award.

Additionally, Chebbak was named Player of the Year in Morocco on five occasions and was the top scorer of the local championship four times.

Born into an athletic family, Ghizlane’s father Larbi Chebbak made significant contributions to Moroccan football before passing away in 2020 at the age of 73.

“Larbi had forged a path of athletic greatness for his daughter. And Ghizlane has already more than lived up to her father’s legacy,” FIFA said. The Atlas Lionesses’ performance at WAFCON has placed them seventh in Africa and 76th globally in FIFA’s latest Women’s World Ranking (WWR).

First Coach in the World to participate in three consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cups

Morocco’s National Futsal Team’s global ranking has risen significantly under Hicham Dguig’s leadership as head coach of Morocco’s team.

The futsal team ranked first in the Arab world and Africa and eighth worldwide, jumping up by five spots compared to December 2021.

Dguig was nominated for Best National Team Coach in the World for the Dimitri Nicolaou Award issued at the Futsalplanet Awards in 2021.

The head coach also holds the distinction of being the first coach to represent the same national team in three consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup tournaments.