Sofiane El Bakkali shines in Stockholm.

Moroccan runner Soufiane El Bakkali continued to shine in the Diamond League athletics competitions, after securing first place in the 3000 meters steeplechase today, Sunday, during the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, recording a time of 8 minutes, 10 seconds, and 40 hundredths.

El Bakkali once again confirmed his status as one of the top steeplechase stars in the world, after surpassing Kenyan Edmund Serem, who finished second with a time of 8 minutes, 12 seconds, and 27 hundredths, while the third place went to Kenyan Abraham Kipyego with a time of 8 minutes, 12 seconds, and 75 hundredths. Moroccan Salah Eddine Ben Yezid took fourth place with a time of 8 minutes, 13 seconds, and two hundredths, in a race characterized by a strong pace and fierce competition among the top specialists in this discipline.

El Bakkali's victory in the Swedish capital came just one week after his impressive performance in the Rabat meeting, where he achieved the best world time of the season, confirming his high readiness and technical stability with the major upcoming events approaching.

After the race, Moroccan runner Soufiane El Bakkali expressed his happiness at winning despite the difficult weather conditions, saying: “After the Rabat meeting, I came to Stockholm, and I love this place. This is my second participation in the Diamond League here, and I love the stadium and the audience. After the good performance in Rabat, I aspired to deliver another strong show; however, the winds were not in favor of the runners today, yet I am happy to achieve victory.”

El Bakkali, the Moroccan champion, added during a statement he made after the race that his current training program focuses on developing speed alongside maintaining his abilities in steeplechase events, explaining: “I train a lot for this specialty; however, I also work on improving my speed. I do training sessions at a distance of 1500 meters, focusing on finishing the last 200 meters at a high speed, and sometimes I also train on 800-meter races to help develop this aspect.”

The Olympic and world champion continues to deliver consistent performances in various rounds of the Diamond League, having become the global reference in the 3000 meters steeplechase; this is confirmed by his consecutive results against the strongest Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.