it was a day of mixed fortunes for Kenya as Abraham Kibiwott, the Commonwealth champion and Kenya’s most experienced talent on the final list, failed to finish the race
It was heartbreak for Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who was denied a historic hat-trick of world titles after being beaten on the line in the men’s steeplechase finals on Monday in Tokyo. The reigning Olympic champion, chasing his third consecutive crown, fell short by a whisker as New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish stunned the field to take victory in 8:33.88.
Kenyan upcoming star over the distance, Edmund Serem, produced a blistering dash in the final 50 meters to clinch bronze. In a race once synonymous with Kenyan dominance, Serem surged past Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu in dramatic fashion, lunging at the line to secure bronze in 8:34.56.
Even Firewu’s desperate dive could not deny Serem a memorable podium finish — a throwback to Kenya’s fighting spirit in the steeplechase.
However, it was a day of mixed fortunes for Kenya as Abraham Kibiwott, the Commonwealth champion and Kenya’s most experienced talent on the final list, failed to finish the race, leaving Serem to salvage national pride in an event that has defined Kenya’s legacy for decades.
Since the golden days of Ezekiel Kemboi and Moses Kiptanui, the 3000m steeplechase has long been Kenya’s crown jewel. Yet El Bakkali’s rise— including back-to-back world titles and Olympic glory in Paris 2024 — has disrupted that dominance.
The Moroccan was chasing history, aiming to become just the third man to win three straight world titles, after Kemboi and Kiptanui.
- Geordie Beamish (NZL) – 8:33.88
- Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) – 8:33.95
- Edmund Serem (KEN) – 8:34.56
- Samuel Firewu (ETH) – 8:34.68
- Salaheddine Ben Yazide (MAR) – 8:35.16
- Lamecha Girma (ETH) – 8:35.60
- Nicolas-Marie Daru (FRA) – 8:35.77
- Ryuji Miura (JPN) – 8:35.90
- Daniel Michalski (USA) – 8:37.12
- Ruben Querinjean (LUX) – 8:37.49