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Soufiane El Bakkali returned home on Thursday with a silver medal from the 3,000m steeplechase at the World Championships in Tokyo, after missing out on gold in the final metres.
“I’m happy with the silver medal, even though in recent years I’ve been used to standing on the top step,” El Bakkali told reporters at Rabat-Salé airport.
Gold went to New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, who edged out El Bakkali by just 0.07 seconds. “I can’t explain what happened before crossing the line. The gold slipped away at the last minute,” he said.
The double Olympic champion admitted a small mistake cost him the win. “I was 100% ready for this race. I didn’t clear the last barrier well,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, El Bakkali is looking ahead. “I congratulated Geordie Beamish. I’ve turned the page on this and now I’m focusing on the next events, like the World Championships and the Olympics,” he added.
Coach Karim Tlemssani said: “Soufiane prepared well for Tokyo. After the race, the disappointment was huge, but in the end we accepted second place. That’s sport.”
El Bakkali finished in 8:33.95, just behind Beamish’s 8:33.88, with Kenya’s Edmund Serem taking bronze in 8:34.56.
The Moroccan, known as a master of the 3,000m steeplechase, led most of the race but lost ground in the final metres. His career also includes silver at London 2017 and bronze at Doha 2019.
