The 400m hurdles for women was introduced to the Olympic programme in 1984. In the final, Nawal El Moutawakel ran the race of her life, leading from start to finish and improving her personal best by 0.76 seconds. She was the first woman from an Islamic nation to win an Olympic medal and the first Moroccan athlete of either sex to win a gold medal. Back in her hometown of Casablanca, her final was televised live at 2 a.m. When she crossed the finish line in first place and took her victory lap carrying a huge Moroccan flag, people in Casablanca poured into the streets to celebrate. In 1998, El Moutawakel was chosen to be a member of the International Olympic Committee.

 

       女子400米栏项目是在1984年美国洛杉矶夏季奥运会上才被列为奥运会的比赛项目，在这届奥运会女子400米栏决赛中，来自摩洛哥的运动员纳瓦尔•穆塔瓦克尔跑出了她一生中最精彩的400米，从比赛的开始一直到最后，她都一路领先，并且将自己之前的最好成绩提高了0.76秒，顺利夺取奥运会金牌。这面金牌使她成为第一位来自伊斯兰国家获得奥运会金牌的女子运动员，同时也是摩洛哥第一位夺取奥运会金牌的运动员。