Moroccan athlete Soufiane El Bakkali finished second in the 3000m steeplechase race on Thursday in the Diamond League finals in Zurich.
The Olympic champion of the 3,000 m steeplechase in Tokyo recorded 8:17:70, beaten by Kenyan Benjamin Kigen who covered the distance in 8:17:45.
The third position went to the Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot with a time of 8 min 18.16sec.
The other Moroccan athlete, Mohammed Tindouft, finished 9th with a time of 8min 25s 33/100.
El Bakkali hoped to make an end to the domination of East African runners over this distance which has lasted since 1984, but Kenyan Benjamin Kigen’s victory put an end to that goal.
The runner shared a new photo of himself running in this race on his Instagram, saying “I am disappointed about my loss in today’s finals, but it’s not the only race I’ve lost in, and loss is something that happens often in sports”.
“In today’s race, I was suffering from what happened to me previously during the Paris Meeting of Diamond League, I am not feeling well, I deal every day with headaches and fever,” he added.
El Bakkali previously snatched the gold medal for the 3000m steeplechase at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.