Soufiane El Bakkali, the 3,000-meter steeplechase king of Morocco, demonstrated his superiority by being the first male to win the title twice in the event’s history, back in 1936.
In an intriguing race, El Bakkali didn’t take the lead until into the home straight, following the fall of Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, his fiercest competitor, when they crossed the third-to-last barrier side by side.
The 28-year-old, a two-time world champion, had to put in a lot of effort to catch Kenneth Rooks’ unexpected late break, but after he overtook the American, he never seemed to be in much danger.
El Bakkali replicated the feat of Finland’s Volmari Iso-Hollo, who won back-to-back steeplechases in 1932 and 1936, by winning in eight minutes and 6.05 seconds.
Girma experiences more heartache.
Pre-race conversation centered mostly on El Bakkali and Girma’s rivalry.
El Bakkali has shown he has the golden touch in large events, even if the Ethiopian has the world record. He defeated his opponent to finish second in the last two World Championships and the Olympics in Tokyo.
Girma also came in second to Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto at the 2019 World Championships.
With all three of Ethiopia’s runners at Paris 2024—Samuel Firewu, Getnet Wale, and Girma—hitting the lead early, it appeared as though the country had a strategy to assist their man finally break his silver streak.
However, the Ethiopian trio allowed the pace to drop just as it appeared that a fast race was about to begin, and the field gathered once more.
Leonard Chemutai of Uganda appeared to have the advantage before tumbling at one of the barriers, Rooks making his move at the bell.
That signaled El Bakkali and Girma to come alive, and they both appeared strong up until the Ethiopian’s ugly-looking tumble caused the Stade de France crowd to gasp.
El Bakkali, who stands tall, made the most of his opportunity to outperform his rivals and secure Morocco’s first medal of the Games.
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