All eyes will turn to Tokyo this Monday at 1:55 p.m. Moroccan time, as Soufiane El Bakkali takes center stage in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase final, hoping to clinch a third world championship title. The Moroccan star enters the race not only as the defending champion but also as a symbol of national pride and dominance in one of track and field’s most grueling events. He’ll be joined at the starting line by his countryman Salaheddine Ben Yazide, who, like El Bakkali, secured qualification during Saturday’s heats.
Tokyo’s track holds a special significance for El Bakkali. It was here, in the 2021 Olympic Games, that he captured Morocco’s first-ever gold medal in the event. Four years later, fresh off a second Olympic triumph in Paris, he returns stronger than ever, determined to cement his legacy and extend his reign over the steeplechase.
In Saturday’s qualifying heats, El Bakkali comfortably won the third race with a time of 8:26.99, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma and American Daniel Michalski. That performance gave him the fastest qualifying time overall. Meanwhile, Ben Yazide delivered a standout performance in the second heat, taking first place with a time of 8:27.21, narrowly beating out New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish and Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu.
Monday’s final is widely expected to turn into a head-to-head showdown between El Bakkali and Girma. The 24-year-old Ethiopian has come agonizingly close to gold multiple times—three-time world silver medalist and Tokyo Olympic runner-up—and he currently holds the world record of 7:52.11, set in 2023. Girma has made no secret of his desire to finally dethrone El Bakkali and claim the top step of the podium.
But El Bakkali has been unbeatable in this event since September 2021. His world title win in Eugene in 2022 ended a long-standing Kenyan monopoly that had dominated the steeplechase for more than a decade. Now with two world titles, an Olympic gold, plus a silver and a bronze to his name, the man from Fez is on the cusp of history. A third world title would make him the second most decorated steeplechaser in history, trailing only Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi.
Even after a disappointing showing in the 1500 meters last month in Silesia, El Bakkali bounced back quickly. “The goal was just to qualify without draining too much energy,” he said after his heat. “My coach and I made a tactical decision to play it safe, to keep something in reserve for the final.”
Currently the fastest steeplechaser of the year thanks to an 8:00.70 run at the Mohammed VI meeting in May, El Bakkali is not only chasing personal glory but also aiming to win Morocco’s first medal at these World Championships. As for 22-year-old Ben Yazide, he’s hoping to build on his momentum and continue Morocco’s proud tradition in the steeplechase—one of the nation’s hallmark events on the global stage.
