India’s Avinash Sable finished eleventh in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris 2024 Olympics held at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won the race to become the first to defend the men’s 3000m steeplechase title after Finland’s Volmari Iso-Hollo (1932-1936).
El Bakkali timed 8:06.05 for victory with American Kenneth Rooks taking silver in 8:06.41 and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot claiming bronze (8:06.47).
Sable started strongly as he took an early lead and held onto it for the opening lap and a half.
But, the rest of the field soon caught up, with the Ethiopian trio pushing Sable back into the pack.
Soon, the Indian runner was caught in a speed trap as he was boxed into the middle and was pushed to the inside of the inside lap.
While Sable struggled to break free, reigning Olympic champion El Bakkali thundered forward to win the title with a ferocious final kick.
Soufiane El Bakkali of Team Morocco celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final. | Photo Credit: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/Getty Images
The 28-year-old El Bakkali arrived in Paris with a target on his back, having won the last three global championships.
After first triumphing at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he became the first non-Kenyan runner to win the Olympic steeplechase title since 1980, he confirmed his status with back-to-back victories in world championships in Eugene and Budapest.
His second Olympic gold in the French capital leaves him in rare company among Arab athletes to have doubled up at the Summer Games.
Only his Moroccan compatriot Hicham El Guerrouj, who won 1500m and 5,000m gold in Athens 2004, and Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli (1500m freestyle in Beijing 2008 and 10km marathon in London 2012) have achieved the feat.
WITH INPUTS AFP
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