Diamond League: Serem stuns Olympic champion El Bakkali to win 3000m Steeplechase
Athletics
By
Washington Onyango
| Sep 14, 2024
Kenya's Amos Serem produced a remarkable performance on Friday night, delivering an upset victory over Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali in the 3000m steeplechase at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium.
The 22-year-old former World Under-20 champion, who had finished a distant 14th at the Paris Olympics, led from start to finish in an impressive display of strength and strategy.
Serem clocked 8:06.90, stunning El Bakkali, whose homestretch surge has been his trademark. The Moroccan, unbeaten in three years since his triumph at the Tokyo Olympics, settled for second place in 8:08.60.
In a thrilling rematch, Serem turned the tables on El Bakkali by holding off the champion’s final push and maintaining his lead in the decisive final lap. This victory not only ended El Bakkali’s dominance but also secured Serem his maiden Diamond League title.
Tunisia’s Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui took third place in 8:09.68, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot, the Olympic bronze medallist, finished just outside the podium in fourth.
READ MORE
Madagascar tycoon to buy Zuku parent firm Wananchi Group
Real estate posts high productivity as challenges hit wholesale, retail sectors
Gold rush: How illegal gallbladder trade threatens Lake Victoria fishers
How container cash deposits are creating a problem for Kenyan traders
Agencies in fresh plan to market Kenyan coffee
AI-driven smart borders transform travel security
Fresh test for Ruto as IMF urges new tax policies to unlock loans
Kenya's nuclear power plan faces significant cost hurdles
Healthcare and business: Diana Okello's journey in aviation medicine niche
How access to credit is boosting tech adoption, earnings for SMEs
Serem's victory is a significant moment in his career, marking the first time he has beaten El Bakkali, a man who ended Kenya’s long-standing dominance in the steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics.
El Bakkali has since held onto his supremacy, winning titles at both the World Championships and the Paris Olympics, making Serem's triumph even more noteworthy.
With this victory, Serem has firmly announced his arrival as a major contender on the global stage, dethroning one of the sport's most consistent champions in dramatic fashion.
- From Saba Saba to Nane Nane protests, Gen-Z are plotting a 'termite coup'
- Maandamano or perish: No middle ground for celebs
- Dr Timothy Kitui: I was a street boy with a degree
- Officers deny allegation of minor's death while locked in police cells
- Scandal of fully-equipped Nairobi hospitals without adequate staff