[12] According to El Guerrouj, his urban upbringing and close proximity to a sports stadium allowed him to watch athletics competitions often, fueling his passion for running.

[13] El Guerrouj's first international triumph was at age 18, when he came third in the 5000 metres of the 1992 Junior World Championships in Seoul, behind Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Ismael Kirui of Kenya.

Running the 1500 metres final, as he was moving into position to challenge for the lead,[15] he fell with 400 m to go and finished last in 12th place.

[16][17] One month later, at the Grand Prix final in Milan, El Guerrouj became the first runner to defeat Morceli over 1500 m in four years.

[18] In the following years, El Guerrouj became the only middle distance runner to win four consecutive world titles in 1997,[19] 1999,[20] 2001, and 2003.

[22][23][24][25] In 1999, also in Rome, El Guerrouj broke the world record in the mile set by Morceli in 1993, with a time of 3:43.13, completing the first 1500 metres in 3:28.21.

[26] This was the first time in over 40 years that two men had bettered the mile world record in the same race,[27] neither of which have been broken in a quarter of a century.

[29][30][31] El Guerrouj successfully defended his 1500 m title in the 2001 and 2003 World Championships and came close to breaking his own 1500 m record in Brussels in 2001 with a time of 3:26.12.

He was the only middle distance athlete to produce the winning streak necessary to be entitled for a share of the jackpot of 50 kilograms (1,608 troy ounces) of gold (2000–2002) or US$1 million (1998–1999, 2003–present).

[34] El Guerrouj became the first man in 80 years to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in the same Olympics, previously achieved only by the "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi in 1924.

[35][36] Having fulfilled his sporting ambitions & due to injuries from his years of high intensity training, El Guerrouj never competed internationally again after the 2004 Olympics and announced his retirement on May 22, 2006.

[37][38] His sporting career is marked by numerous recognitions such as the award for humanitarian effort from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which he received in 1996.

On September 7, 2004, El Guerrouj was decorated with the "Cordon de Commandeur" by King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

[50] He also attended the 2024 Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on 13 September, where he greeted Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the finish line of the 1500 m.[51] The following table includes El Guerrouj's personal best times as published by the IAAF:[52]