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Rabat – Moroccan runner Sofiane El Bakkali won the gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase race, at the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo today.
Soufiane El Bakkali finished first in the 3000m steeple race final, restoring the country’s hope for gold, after a series of disappointing performances from the Moroccan athletes.
Placing 4th at the Rio de Janeiro Games, then vice world champion 2017, and earning bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Soufiane El Bakkali finds himself facing a responsibility to achieve a gold medal for his country’s pride.
This medal is the sole achievement of Morocco’s participation in this year’s Olympic Games, due to the rest of the Moroccan athletes being disqualified from the semi-finals throughout the competition.
El-Bakkali ranked first in the final race, with a time of 08:08:90, defeating Ethiopia’s Girma Lamesha, who came second, and Kenyan Kegen Benjamin, who came in third.
Mohamed Tendouft, another Moroccan athlete participating in the race, came in 13th place,with a time of 08:23:56.
This triumphant win marks the 24th medal that is achieved throughout the Moroccan Olympic victories.
The last gold Morocco won in an olympic race was in 2004 when Hicham Guerrouj won two historic gold medals for his country.
El Bakkali is set to compete in the upcoming 1500m race, taking place this Tuesday, August 3.
As Moroccans closely follow the development of the games, El Bakkali revived the country’s hopes of capturing the gold medal twice, just as Guerrouj did 17 years ago.
