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Soufiane El Bakkali narrowly missed out on gold in the 3,000m steeplechase at the World Championships in Tokyo.
El Bakkali ran a cautious start, staying at the back in the early laps before pushing forward in the final two laps. His late surge, however, was not enough to catch New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, who stole the lead in the final metres.
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Beamish claimed victory in 8:33.88, with El Bakkali just behind in 8:33.56. Another Moroccan, Salaheddine Ben Yazide, finished fifth in 8:35.16.
The 29-year-old Moroccan had earlier qualified comfortably from the heats, topping his group in 8:26.99. His defeat means he falls short of becoming only the third athlete in history to win three consecutive world titles in the steeplechase, after Kenyan legends Moses Kiptanui and Ezekiel Kemboi.
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