Rabat — Moroccan track star Soufiane El Bakkali, two-time Olympic and world champion, came second in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Diamond League in Xiamen, China.
El Bakkali completed the race with a time of 8 minutes, 6.66 seconds, finishing behind Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu who won with a time of 8 minutes, 5.61 seconds.
Kenya’s Simon Kiprob Koech took third place with a time of 8 minutes, 7.12 seconds.
El Bakkali’s impressive career includes winning the Diamond League title in 2022.
During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Soufiane El Bakkali successfully secured the gold in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, following his first Olympic gold at Tokyo.
The Moroccan runner also claimed gold medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023 and Eugene, the US in 2022.
His long list of achievements includes a third-place finish at the 2019 African Games and a second-place finish at the 2018 African Championships.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, El Bakkali secured gold in his specialty event with a time of 8:08.90, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Girma and Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen.
The Moroccan athlete continues to demonstrate his world-class abilities on the international stage, remaining among the elite competitors in his event despite the narrow defeat in Xiamen.
