Moroccan Olympic Champion El Bakkali Advances to World Steeplechase Final

Soufiane El Bekkali is performing well at the 2022 World Championships. On Friday, he clocked a time of 8 minutes 16 seconds and 65 and qualified for the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final, reports Reuters. "The semi-final was really easy, as the other athletes struggled to clear the obstacles, but not too easy either because of the heat," said the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion. His goal, he said, is to win the gold medal.

The final will take place on Monday, July 18. The challengers to the Moroccan champion are the defending champion Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya (8:20.12) and the silver medalist Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia (8:19.64).