Aouita is without doubt the most outstanding runner of the 1980s. He took the bronze in the 800 m medium distance event at the 1988 Seoul games, having won the gold at Los Angeles, four years earlier for the 5000 m long distance event. During this time, he notched up several world records. He went on to train young hopefuls for the Moroccan team, such as Boutayeb or Skah, both Olympic champions at Seoul and Barcelona.