Sufyan El Bakkali wins the 3000 meters steeplechase at the Mohammed VI International Meeting.
The Moroccan world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali won the 3000-meter steeplechase race this Sunday evening at the 17th edition of the Mohammed VI International Athletics Meeting, the third stop on the prestigious Diamond League calendar for the year 2026, held at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
El Bakkali delivered a strong performance against a selection of the world's top specialists, crossing the finish line in first place with a time of 7 minutes, 57 seconds, and 25 hundredths of a second, achieving the best world time of the season and adding his sixth title in the history of his participation in the Rabat meeting.
German athlete Frederik Robert came in second with a time of 7 minutes, 57 seconds, and 80 hundredths of a second, while the third place went to Kenyan Simon Kiprop Koech with a time of 7 minutes, 59 seconds, and 44 hundredths of a second.
The competition saw a notable Moroccan presence, with Salah Eddine Benyazid finishing the race in sixth place with a time of 8 minutes, 10 seconds, and 64 hundredths of a second, just ahead of his compatriot Mohamed Tendouft, who finished seventh with a time of 8 minutes, 10 seconds, and 77 hundredths of a second. Faïd Mustafa secured the ninth position after recording a time of 8 minutes, 11 seconds, and 64 hundredths of a second.
On the other hand, Moroccan runner Abdelrafeh Bouassel was unable to complete the race, as were some other athletes who withdrew before the finish line, in a race characterized by a high pace from the first meters, contributing to strong times on the new Olympic track in Rabat.
The Moroccan champion has won two consecutive Olympic titles in "Tokyo 2021" and "Paris 2024," as well as two consecutive world titles in "Eugene 2022" and "Budapest 2023," in addition to the Diamond League title in his specialty in 2022, along with two medals, silver and bronze, at the World Championships in "London 2017" and "Doha 2019."