Girma in hospital …after fall as El Bakkali wins steeplechase
MOROCCO’S 3,000m steeplechase king, Soufiane El Bakkali, showed his class to become the first man to defend an Olympic title in the event since 1936.
In a curious race, El Bakkali only hit the front for the first time coming into the home straight, just after his great rival Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma suffered a heavy fall that led to him being taken to hospital.
El Bakkali, who is also a two-time world champion, had to work hard to chase down a surprise late break by Kenneth Rooks, but never looked in much trouble once he passed the American.
Winning in a time of eight minutes 6.05 seconds, the 28-year-old mirrored the achievement of Finland’s Volmari Iso-Hollo, who won back-to-back steeplechases in 1932 and 1936.
Rooks held on for silver, just ahead of Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot.
Most of the pre-race talk was about the rivalry between El Bakkali and Girma, but the climax was overshadowed as the world record holder was taken to hospital following his fall on the final lap.
After tripping over the third-to-last barrier, the 23-year-old was quickly attended to by medical staff and had a neck brace fitted before being carried off the track on a stretcher.
“Following his fall in the 3,000m steeplechase, Lamecha Girma received immediate care from the on-site medical teams. Our thoughts are with him and we are sending him our very best wishes for a swift recovery,” Paris 2024 said in a statement.
Girma, who broke the men’s 3,000m steeplechase world record in Paris last year, was defeated by El Bakkali at the Olympics in Tokyo and the last two World Championships.
The tall figure of El Bakkali took full advantage to overhaul his competitors and win Morocco’s first medal of the Games.
—BBC
