Rabat – Moroccan athlete Soufiane El Bakkali won on Sunday the 3,000 meters steeplechase race in Sweden’s capital Stockholm, as part of the Athletics Diamond League.
El Bakkali finished the race in 8 minutes 9 seconds and 84 millisecond, ahead of Ethiopians Getnet Wale (8:12.27) and Abrham Sime (8:16.82).
Also taking part in the event was Mohammed Msaad who came in 6th with a time of 8:22.47.
After coming close to breaking the record at the Mohammed VI Meet in Rabat in May, the Moroccan athlete was keen to make history and smash the world record at the Diamond League in Stockholm.
Breaking the world record was hard for El Bakkali, since Ethiopian athlete Lamecha Girma recently set a record of 7 minutes and 52.11 seconds at the Paris Diamond League meeting.
Despite not setting a new record during the Rabat Diamond League, the Moroccan athlete won the World’s Best Performance (WBP) award for the year in the 3,000 meters steeplechase competition with a time of 7 minutes, 56 seconds, and 68 milliseconds.
Celebrating his achievement at the Rabat Diamond League, El Bakkali said, “I can’t describe my happiness for achieving the meeting record, personal best, and world lead.”
“My aim was to break the world record but I got tired on the last leap,” he added. “Now I will rest to get ready for my next competitions and especially for the World Championships where my aim is to keep my title.”
Read also: Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali Selected as Africa’s Best Male Athlete of 2022
