Athletics-El Bakkali wins 3,000m steeplechase world gold

Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali surged past Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia to win 3,000 metres steeplechase gold in a flawless performance at the World Championships on Monday. The Olympic champion had stayed near the back of the leading pack for much of the race before making the decisive move in the last 200m at Hayward Field.

Girma had to settle for silver once again after finishing second in Tokyo and in Doha three years ago. The performance ended Kenya’s reign in the event at the World Championships, marking the first time since 2005 that a Kenyan did not finish top of the podium.

The winner in 2019, Conseslus Kipruto, finished with bronze in Eugene, Oregon. Girma said he was pleased but not satisfied with second place and would reassess his training with an eye toward next year’s worlds.

“The pace was very slow today, my tactic did not work and that (cost) me the gold,” he told reporters. “I was trying to change the tactic but the pace limited me very much.” There was a bizarre moment during the first lap of the race when the field was forced to dodge a camera operator who was standing in the middle of the track with his back to the competitors.

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