- Abraham Kibiwot’s bronze was Kenya’s fifth medal overall.
- It was the first medal from the men in Paris.
- Beatrice Chebet (Gold), Faith Kipyegon (Silver), Mary Moraa (Bronze) and Faith Cherotich (Bronze) are the other medals Kenya has won.
Soufiane El Bakkali successfully defended his title in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning his fourth successive global title in the event as he became just the third Arab to win double gold.
The Moroccan emerged from the pack on a frantic final lap to win in 8:06.05 ahead of USA’s Kenneth Rooks, who took a surprise silver in a big PB of 8:06.41 as Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot, who clocked a season best 8:06.47, claimed bronze to deliver the country’s fifth medal and first from the men.
World record-holder Lamecha Girma appeared to be in for medal contention, but the Ethiopian had a bad fall with 200 metres to go and was a non-finisher as he was stretchered off the track by medical personnel after the race.
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The 28-year-old El Bakkali arrived in Paris with a target on his back, having won the last three global championships.
After first triumphing at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he became the first non-Kenyan runner to win the Olympic steeplechase title since 1980, he confirmed his status with back-to-back victories in world championships in Eugene and Budapest.
His second Olympic gold in the French capital leaves him in rare company among Arab athletes to have doubled up at the Summer Games.
Only his Moroccan compatriot Hicham El Guerrouj, who won 1500m and 5,000m gold in Athens 2004, and Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli (1500m freestyle in Beijing 2008 and 10km marathon in London 2012) have achieved the feat.
The opening pace was fast as India’s Avinash Sable took an early lead, closely followed by a trio of Ethiopians: Getnet Wale, Samuel Firewu and Girma. El Bakkali was positioned close behind.
Wale and Firewu then took brief spells at the front with the first 1000m being covered in 2:40.53, putting them on course to break the Olympic record.
The pace settled down during the middle of the race as Sable drifted back through the pack, leaving the three Ethiopians at the front with Firewu doing most of the leading. Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai briefly moved up through the pack, prompting Firewu to increase the pace.
Kenya’s Simon Koech then hit the front and led the field through 2000m in 5:29.8 as the pack started to bunch up. With two laps to go, El Bakkali’s teammate Mohamed Tindouft moved through the field and into second place, but the real drama started on the final lap.
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As soon as the bell rang, Rooks darted into the lead and immediately opened up a gap of two metres on the rest of the field. El Bakkali was navigating his way through a field that included Girma, Firewu and Kibiwot.
Among all the chaos, Girma tripped and fell hard, lying motionless on the track. The rest of the field charged forward with El Bakkali moving onto Rooks’ shoulder coming off the bend.
Abraham Kibiwot
The Moroccan then strode into the lead and sprinted hard off the final barrier, winning in 8:06.05. Rooks crossed the line 0.36 later with Kibiwot claiming the bronze medal in 8:06.47.
Tunisian duo Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui and Ahmed Jaziri finished fourth and fifth. Jhinaoui set a national record of 8:07.73 and Jaziri was rewarded with a PB of 8:08.02, also inside the previous national record.
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture talent
Tujiamini is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform, including up to 30M shillings in funding, for individual, team sports and various talent, in a year-long campaign that will go around the country in a move aimed at evoking the sense of pride in Kenya’s sports and talent ecosystem.
Applicants are urged to submit their applications through www.tujiamini.co.ke