Bahrain&rsquo;s Winfred Mutile Yavi saw off the challenge posed by her more fancied rivals to win the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase title at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 on Sunday (27), running 8:54.29 for the fifth-fastest time in history.
To many, there had been one big question ahead of the final: which Kenyan Chepkoech was going to have their name engraved on the gold medal?
Jackline or Beatrice? The supplementary query was whether any of the leading lights of the seven-and-a-half lap event could crash the party and make a name for themselves.
The form book pointed to Jackline. The 19-year-old won the Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and smashed through the nine-minute barrier for the first time at the London Diamond League on 23 July, finishing almost seven seconds ahead of Beatrice in 8:57.35, a world lead.
As it transpired, in the heat of battle in Budapest, the teenager was never a contender and she finished ninth in 9:14.72.
While one Chepkoech passed through the race virtually unnoticed, the other grabbed it by the scruff of the neck.
Beatrice set off looking something like the woman who set the world record of 8:44.32 in Monaco in 2018, and who followed up with World Championships gold in 2019.
Such was the 32-year-old&rsquo;s relentless pace, only Yavi could stay in touch &ndash; and, even then, the Bahraini was always some two metres behind. Until the penultimate lap, that is.
Fourth in the previous two World Championships finals, Yavi was not going to miss her chance to finally make it on to the podium as a winner. She steadily closed the gap, then overtook Beatrice at the bell and forged ahead.
The 23-year-old crossed the finish line in 8:54.29, not just eclipsing the younger Chepkoech&rsquo;s 2023 world lead but moving to fourth on the world all-time list.
The elder Chepkoech was more than four seconds down, clocking 8:58.98 for silver. Her Kenyan teammate, the 19-year-old world U20 champion Faith Cherotich, comfortably won the race for bronze in 9:00.69 &ndash; a first podium finish in the event by a teenager. &nbsp;
Next home and finishing fourth in 9:05.51 was Zerfe Wondemagegn, the Ethiopian who gained world U20 silver behind Cherotich last year. France&rsquo;s European indoor 3000m silver medallist Alice Finot was fifth in 9:06.15, with Slovenia&rsquo;s Marusa Mismas Zrimsek sixth in 9:06.37.
&ldquo;It was a fast race but I did not realise it was that fast. I knew I would have the power on the last lap. It was perfect,&rdquo; said Yavi.
&ldquo;I have never felt like this before. I worked hard and I am grateful for this amazing achievement.
&ldquo;After finishing fourth at the past two World Championships, the gold medal gives me additional motivation to train hard.&rdquo;
Beatrice Chepkoech was a happy woman, too.
&ldquo;This silver feels like gold to me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The last few years have been tough due to injury. Coming back is something special for me.
&ldquo;It has been hard. Since the Tokyo Olympics I have been struggling and I thought I might never come back but tonight proves I am still strong.&rdquo;
As for Cherotich, the bronze medallist reflected: &ldquo;Nine minutes is a fantastic time. I know I am in shape to go under nine minutes. It is very possible.
&ldquo;Last year I won the world U20 title and I worked hard to make the Kenyan team for Budapest. It's my debut at the senior World Championships, but I did not worry. The feeling is pretty much the same I had a year ago as a junior. It is a huge responsibility to represent your country.
&ldquo;I am very surprised to know that I am the first teenager who got a medal at the World Championships in women's steeplechase. Now I am looking forward to being highly prepared for the Olympics.
&ldquo;Why not? Everything is possible for people who believe in themselves.&rdquo;
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 3000m STEEPLECHASE MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Winfred Mutile Yavi 🇧🇭 BRN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">8:54.29 WL</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Beatrice Chepkoech 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">8:58.98 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Faith Cherotich 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">9:00.69 PB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-championships/budapest23/results/women/3000-metres-steeplechase/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
For highlights, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and the latest results and statistics during the World Championships, join <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inside Track</a> today for free.

World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023

Yavi runs 8:54.29 for the fifth-fastest time in history

Yavi makes a splash with steeplechase gold in Budapest

Lamecha Girma, twice a world record-breaker this year, had to settle for a fourth global 3000m steeplechase silver medal as world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali beat him in a familiar manner to win in 8:03.53 at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 on Tuesday (22).
There was another monumental struggle between the two men over the final lap as Ethiopia's Girma &ndash; who set a world indoor 3000m record and then lowered the world steeplechase record that had stood since 2004 to 7:52.11 &ndash; strove to make his new status tell.&nbsp;
But as in last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon, and the Tokyo Olympic final, the 27-year-old Moroccan was able to find the killing final speed to frustrate Girma&rsquo;s ultimate ambition.&nbsp;
At the finish line, which he crossed in 8:05.44, Girma&rsquo;s face was drained of emotion as he accepted a flag that was placed dutifully over his shoulders without doing anything energetic with it. Three World Championships silvers in a row is a proud record - but it didn&rsquo;t seem to feel like it at that moment.&nbsp;
El Bakkali, meanwhile, prostrated himself in prayer before wandering, as if dazed, on the track before heading over to collect a flag and congratulations from his nearest and dearest, his face suddenly contorted with tears.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After winning in Eugene last year I am really proud to bring home another gold,&rdquo; El Bakkali said. &ldquo;I had great preparations for these championships but today's field was very strong with athletes like Lamecha.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I came ready and prepared and believed I could win. This medal gives me additional motivation for the Olympic Games in Paris. I want to win there too.&rdquo;&nbsp;
In what was effectively a separate race, bronze went to Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwot, who managed, remarkably, to recover from a heavy fall over a barrier going into the final lap and outsprint his compatriot Leonard Kipkemboi Bett to finish third in 8:11.98, with the latter clocking 8:12.26.&nbsp;
New Zealand&rsquo;s George Beamish was next home, finishing fifth in 8:13.46, with Japan&rsquo;s Ryuji Miura taking sixth place in 8:13.70.&nbsp;
Girma, who was beaten to the world title in 2019 by Kenya&rsquo;s Conseslus Kipruto, had hoped fervently to become the first Ethiopian to win this world title after his extraordinary performance at last month&rsquo;s Diamond League meeting in Paris, where he took just over a second and a half off the long-standing mark of 7:53.63 set in Brussels by Saif Saaeed Shaheen.&nbsp;
Earlier in the year he had worked to historic effect on his flat speed by breaking Daniel Komen&rsquo;s 25-year-old world indoor record in the 3000m in Lievin, with a time of 7:23.81.&nbsp;&nbsp;
After his Paris race it was back to training to sharpen himself for the supreme test. He did everything right. But after reaching the bell with just over a metre lead from his great rival he could not lengthen that margin, and the further around the final lap the more inevitable seemed the eventual result.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The moment Girma must have dreaded and expected came as they entered the final bend, as El Bakkali moved past on the outside and then opened up a growing lead down the finishing straight to cross the line 10 metres clear.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That is my fourth global silver medal but I am satisfied by every single race against El Bakkali,&rdquo; Girma said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The weather today was bit a hot, but the final was pretty good. I still aim to win gold at the World Championships or Olympic Games. Nothing has changed in my goals. Maybe, I became even more motivated for next year.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
At just 22, Girma has many years yet to pursue those twin ambitions.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We will discuss what was wrong,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I am sure I was highly prepared physically and technically as I managed to break the world record. It tells you everything about my fitness. Maybe I had a lack of focus. In any case, I continue fighting and dreaming about world's gold.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Kibiwot, meanwhile, commented: &ldquo;It was my third time to compete but it is my first time to actually win a medal at the World Championships.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I came here to finally take a medal home with me. This is why I stayed behind El Bakkali and Lamecha. It was my tactic to follow them, stick with them. I knew I can make it this way. It was a good race, even if I fell when we started the last lap.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Then Leonard Bett managed to pass me, but there was no question I would make it to the podium. At these times there is no tiredness. I feel so great, this is even more than happiness.&rdquo;&nbsp;
There was frustration for Girma&rsquo;s compatriot Getnet Wale, second in this year&rsquo;s world list, who finished fourth at the last two World Championships and at the Tokyo Olympics. Here he was 11th in 8:21.03.&nbsp;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S 3000m STEEPLECHASE MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Soufiane El Bakkali 🇲🇦 MAR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">8:03.53</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Lamecha Girma 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">8:05.44</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Abraham Kibiwot 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">8:11.98</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-championships/budapest23/results/men/3000-metres-steeplechase/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
For highlights, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and the latest results and statistics during the World Championships, join <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inside Track</a> today for free.

Lamecha Girma, twice a world record-breaker this year, had to settle for a fourth global 3000m steeplechase silver medal as world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali beat him in a familiar manner

El Bakkali's late surge condemns Girma to third world steeplechase silver

<h2>Women's 3000m steeplechase</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/budapest23/timetable/bydiscipline/women/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/3000msc/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/women/senior/2023?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
With a gold medal at the 2021 World U20 Championships in Nairobi, and another at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Kenya&rsquo;s Jackline Chepkoech is stepping up nicely into the senior ranks and positioning herself for a global title in 2023.
As the only woman to have run under nine minutes this season with her impressive PB, meeting record and world lead of 8:57.35 set en route to her triumph at the London Diamond League, the 19-year-old ran the race of her life to upstage the world record-holder in the event and her more experienced teammate, Beatrice Chepkoech, who was second in 9:04.34.
Prior to the London race, the pair had squared off in four other races: the Doha Diamond League, Kip Keino Classic, the Golden Gala in Rome and Kenyan Trials for the World Championships. Beatrice had finished ahead of Jackline in three of those races, so bridging that gap in London must have meant a lot to the 2022 World Athletics Rising Star award nominee who cannot wait to step into the shoes of the 2019 world champion.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Having suffered injury setbacks in 2021 and 2022, which denied her medals at the Tokyo Olympics and last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon, the older Chepkoech now looks set to reclaim her exalted position. After taking the win in Lausanne in 9:05.98, she said: &ldquo;I am really happy about today's race; I feel so good tonight. The goal is to now go to Budapest and do the best that I can&rdquo;.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/76967511-5bbe-4080-b567-f1448fadcade.jpg" alt="Beatrice Chepkoech at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019" />
Beatrice Chepkoech at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
While the quest for dominance in the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 may be aptly tagged &lsquo;The battle of the Chepkoechs&rsquo;, Kenya has another promising prospect in Faith Cherotich, who is the reigning world U20 champion in the event. Ranked seventh in the world with her time of 9:06.43, the 19-year-old will be making her maiden appearance at the World Championships but will lean on the experience of her teammates.
No Ethiopian woman has won gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the World Championships, but Sembo Almayew will seek to change that narrative when she lines up on the track of the National Athletics Centre. Boasting a personal best of 9:00.71, the second fastest time in the world this year, the world U20 silver medallist will hope to inspire her colleagues Zerfe Wondemagegn (9:04.61) and Mekides Abebe (9:11.09), who are ranked sixth and 18th respectively this year, to faster times and perhaps, a historic outing in Budapest. Abebe took the bronze in Oregon last year.&nbsp;
Bahrain&rsquo;s Winfred Mutile Yavi has come agonisingly close to securing a podium place after finishing fourth at both the 2019 and 2022 World Championships. She owns the fourth-fastest time in the world this year &ndash; 9:04.38 &ndash; which was set at the Doha Diamond League, where she dominated. This time around, she will target a top three finish at the championships.
London 2017 world gold medallist Emma Coburn, who inspired a 1-2 for the US at the time with Courtney Frerichs taking silver, will lead the US charge to Budapest. This time she will be joined by another Courtney (Wayment), as well as the reigning national champion Krissy Gear, who took over from Coburn, who has won a whopping 10 US titles between 2011 to 2022.
Ranked eighth this year and with a SB of 9:13.06, the bronze medallist from the Rio Olympics finished in eighth place in Oregon last year but will bank on her experience as she heads for her sixth World Championships, having made the final in every single one. Wayment comes with a SB of 9:11.41, and Gear with a PB of 9:12.81.
Others to look out for are three-time French champion Alice Finot (9:10.04), Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner Peruth Chemutai of Uganda (9:11.91), European champion Luiza Gega (9:11.94), and seventh-place finisher in both Oregon and the Commonwealth Games last year, Great Britain&rsquo;s Aimee Pratt (9:16.10).
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 3000m steeplechase</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/budapest23/timetable/bydiscipline/men/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/3000msc/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/men/senior/2023?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
There&rsquo;s a lot at stake for each of the major contenders for gold in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase. For Lamecha Girma, this would be the right time to stamp his authority as one of the greatest in the event by adding the world title to his world record, having claimed silver medals at the 2019 and 2022 editions of the World Championships, as well as the Tokyo Olympics.
Also, no Ethiopian has won gold in the event in World Championships history. Instead, the Kenyans have dominated, with 13 gold medals claimed over a span of 18 editions of the competition. So Girma, who tops the global top lists with his astonishing world record of 7:52.11 set in Paris, would aim to enter the history books as the first athlete from his country to break that jinx.
For the Olympic and defending world champion Soufiane El Bakkali, who is the highest ranked in the event, setting a PB and meeting record of 7:56.68 at the Rabat Diamond League in a World Championships year &ndash; the second fastest time this year &ndash; underlines his depth and capacity to retain his gold medal from last year. He is also the only non-Kenyan African winner of the event and has all three shades of medals in his kitty.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62d631e7603e401b2a97abbf.jpg" alt="Soufiane El Bakkali wins the steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Soufiane El Bakkali wins the steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Getnet Wale, who is second on the world rankings and comes to Budapest with a PB of 8:05.15, which he set while finishing second to the Moroccan in Rabat, finished fourth in Doha and Oregon as well as at the Tokyo Olympics. This would be the moment to step up and win a medal.
The 20-year-old Simon Kiprop Koech is out to prove that he&rsquo;s ready to rub shoulders with the big boys. The bronze medallist from the 2021 World U20 Championships and new Kenyan champion stunned Olympic bronze medallist Benjamin Kigen to win his first senior race at the national championships in Nairobi. Unbeaten in his eight races over the distance this year, Koech smashed his PB to 8:04.19 while racing to his first ever Diamond League victory in Monaco. His new lifetime best helped him qualify for the World Championships.
He is in good company with teammates Abraham Kibiwot (who was third in Rabat), and Leonard Kipkemoi Bett, as the duo are also ranked among the top five in the event, with the former coming with a PB of 8:05.51 and the latter a season&rsquo;s best of 8:09.45. The trio will aim to return Kenya to winning ways.
Girma and El Bakkali have clashed in three global finals, and the Moroccan currently has the upper hand with a 2-1 lead. Both athletes have met only once this year &ndash; at the Doha Diamond League &ndash; where the 22-year-old Ethiopian triumphed over his rival in the 3000m, with El Bakkali settling for fourth. A month later, Girma would run an imperious race to shatter Saif Saaeed Shaheen&rsquo;s world record of 7:53.63 set in 2004. That was his second world record in 2023, Girma having also smashed Daniel Komen&rsquo;s 25-year-old world indoor record in the 3000m in Lievin, with a time of 7:23.81.
It would appear that the title is Girma&rsquo;s to lose, though he is yet to race since accomplishing his mind-blowing feat in Paris, and it remains to be seen what he has up his sleeves when he takes to the track in Budapest. However, the potency of El Bakkali&rsquo;s fighting spirit and famous kick towards the finishing line cannot be taken for granted. &nbsp;
Abrham Sime was part of the line up at the Monaco Diamond League won by Koech. Sime was inspired to a PB and the eighth fastest time in the world (8:10.56) after finishing third, while New Zealand&rsquo;s George Beamish stormed to an Oceanian record of 8:13.26 in fifth place.
One of the youngsters to keep an eye on is seventh-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics, Ryuji Miura, who sped to a Japanese record and the seventh-fastest time in the world (8:09.91) in the historic race in Paris where he secured second position. The 21-year-old will be looking forward to putting up a strong showing as he makes his World Championships debut. He was followed by Spanish champion David Arce, who clocked a PB of 8:10.63 in third.
Yemi Olus-Galadima for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the women's and men's 3000m steeplechase

WCH Budapest 23 preview: 3000m steeplechase

Women&rsquo;s world 1500m record 3:49.11 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Florence 2 June 2023
Women&rsquo;s world 5000m record 14:05.20 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Paris 9 June 2023
Men&rsquo;s world 3000m steeplechase record 7:52.11 Lamecha Girma (ETH) Paris 9 June 2023
Women&rsquo;s world 35km race walk record 2:37:15 Maria Perez (ESP) Podebrady 21 May 2023
 World records set this season by Faith Kipyegon, Lamecha Girma and Maria Perez have been ratified.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipyegon has achieved three world records since June and two of those marks &ndash; in the women&rsquo;s 1500m and 5000m &ndash; are now officially in the record books. Her women&rsquo;s mile record set in Monaco on 21 July is pending ratification.
The first of Kipyegon&rsquo;s world records was set at the Golden Gala, a Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Florence on 2 June. On that occasion, the two-time world and Olympic champion ran 3:49.11 to break the women&rsquo;s world 1500m record of 3:50.07 that had been set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco on 17 July 2015.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s still more to come,&rdquo; said Kipyegon after taking down the eight-year-old record. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still working on running faster than that, faster than 3:49. I&rsquo;m really thankful today that I managed to run 3:49 and I&rsquo;m still heading towards beautiful races in the rest of the season.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/648383da8a2a2bd498d055fa.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon breaks the world 5000m record in Paris" />
Faith Kipyegon breaks the world 5000m record in Paris (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
She was right. Just one week later she raced at the Meeting de Paris, also a Wanda Diamond League event, on 9 June and stepped up to the 5000m. While her original aim might not have been the world record of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia on 7 October 2020, Kipyegon still broke it, running 14:05.20 in just her third ever race at the distance.
Speeding up with every stride, she hit the bell in 13:04.1 and covered the final lap in 61.1 seconds for a 1.42-second improvement on Gidey&rsquo;s mark.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think about the world record, I don&rsquo;t know how I made it,&rdquo; said a surprised Kipyegon. &ldquo;I just wanted to improve on my PB, the world record was not my plan. I just ran after Gidey &ndash; she is an amazing lady.&rdquo;
That wasn&rsquo;t the only world record achieved in Paris. On one of the greatest nights in athletics, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Girma set his sights on the men&rsquo;s world 3000m steeplechase record of 7:53.63 set by Qatar&rsquo;s Saif Saaeed Shaheen on 3 September 2004. An ambitious pace was requested &shy; &ndash; one that would result in a finishing time of around 7:52 &ndash; and that&rsquo;s exactly what Girma managed as he crossed the finish line in 7:52.11 to take 1.52 seconds off the mark set 19 years prior.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64839222ca584f730726f9d1.jpg" alt="Lamecha Girma breaks the world 3000m steeplechase record in Paris" />
Lamecha Girma breaks the world 3000m steeplechase record in Paris (&copy; Marta Gorczynska)
</div>
&ldquo;I feel so happy,&rdquo; said Girma, who started his year with a world indoor record over 3000m. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy and very proud. I felt so fast during the race, so confident. The world record is not a surprise; it was my plan to beat it tonight in Paris. It&rsquo;s the result of my full determination.&rdquo;
Perez achieved her world record in Podebrady on 21 May, clocking 2:37:15 to improve the women&rsquo;s 35km race walk mark by 29 seconds.
The Spanish athlete was a dominant winner at the European Race Walking Team Championships, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event, where she eclipsed the world record of 2:37:44 that had been set by Peru's double world champion Kimberly Garcia in Dudince on 25 March.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6469de8f1560c883235a887a.JPG" alt="Maria Perez celebrates her 35km race walk world record in Podebrady" />
Maria Perez celebrates her 35km race walk world record in Podebrady (&copy; Podebrady 2023 LOC / European Athletics)
</div>
"It is a nice feeling to finish the race and the time is a big reward," said Perez. "I did not think of any time or any special target before the start, I just wanted to finish the best I could. So, the record time was definitely not my goal today. I am happy to do my best and I am glad to see that race walk can be attractive and can attract such great crowds like in Podebrady."
World Athletics

Faith Kipyegon's 1500m and 5000m marks plus Lamecha Girma's 3000m steeplechase time and Maria Perez's 35km race walk result are officially in the record books.

Ratified: world records for Kipyegon, Girma and Perez

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the women's and men's hurdles and steeplechase events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles</h2>
She may be the second youngest in the field, but there&rsquo;s every chance that when the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles reaches its climax, Jamaica&rsquo;s Kerrica Hill will be first across the line. The 17-year-old was an ultra-impressive winner of the Jamaican U20 title in 12.98 (1.5m/s) last month and, with 11.16 100m flat speed in her armoury, she will be tough to stop if getting things right technically. She will be backed up by teammate Alexis James, who clocked a PB of 13.13 last month to make the team for Cali.
The US challenge will be led by Jalaysiya Smith, who ran her PB of 13.05 (0.5m/s) in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships and who went on to win the US U20 title last month in 13.21. She will be joined by teammate Eddiyah Frye, who clocked 13.26 to finish second to Smith and make the team for Cali last month. Germany&rsquo;s Hawa Jalloh has also been in sparkling form of late, clocking a PB of 13.23 to win her national U20 title last earlier this month and she should also feature.
With next year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 starting to loom on the horizon, Hungary could well have a teenage hurdler competing on home turf there, given the progress of Anna Toth, who clocked a national U20 record of 13.23 (0.5m/s) last month and will take her shot at the world&rsquo;s best teenagers in Cali. The British charge will be led by Marli Jessop, who has a best of 13.38 this year. Others to have gone below 13.50 this season are Spain&rsquo;s Paula Blanquer, Britain&rsquo;s Mia McIntosh, Germany&rsquo;s Naomi Krebs and Czech Republic&rsquo;s Ester Bendova. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles</h2>
Dutch teenager Matthew Sophia walked away from last year&rsquo;s European U20 Championships with two silver medals &ndash; in the 110m hurdles and 4x100m relay &ndash; but the 18-year-old looks to have a great chance of going one better in Cali if he shows up in the same form he showed earlier this year. The Rotterdam Atletiek athlete tops the world U20 lists via his Dutch U20 record of 13.23 (-0.4m/s) in March, though he has raced little since winning the Carifta Games title in Jamaica in mid-April in 13.74.
The US challenge will be led by national U20 champion Malik Mixon, who won that title with a wind-assisted time of 13.26 (2.6m/s) last month. He will be joined in Cali by teammate TJ Caldwell, who clocked 13.34 at the US U20 Championships and who has run a wind-legal best of 13.40 this year. Czech Republic&rsquo;s Stepan Schubert should also be a big threat, having clocked 13.40 to win his national U20 title last month. Jamaica&rsquo;s Dishaun Lamb, South Africa&rsquo;s Denmar Jacobs and Bahamas&rsquo; Antoine Andrews have all run well below 13.50 this year and should all be in the hunt for a spot in the final. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h2>
Italy&rsquo;s Alessia Seramondi is the quickest athlete among the 48 entries in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, lowering her PB to 57.29 when winning her national U20 title in 57.29 in Rieti. US U20 champion Akala Garrett is another sure to be in the hunt for medals. She clocked a world U18 lead of 57.46 when winning the US high school title in Eugene last month. She will be backed up by teammate Michaela Rose, the LSU student who juggles the 400m hurdles, where she has a best of 57.62, with the 800m, where she has a best of 2:02.49.
Japan has a strong contender in Moe Matsuoka, the 19-year-old who finished third at her national senior championships last month in 57.57. &nbsp;Jamaica&rsquo;s Oneika McAnnuff has run 57.68 this season and could also be in the medal shake-up, along with Czech Republic&rsquo;s Ester Bendova (57.90) and Italy&rsquo;s Ludovica Cavo (57.94). The Polish duo of Wiktoria Oko and Aleksandra Wolczak should also go close &ndash; both have run 58.03 this year. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h2>
Turkey&rsquo;s Berke Akcam took gold in this event at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, and his nation has a strong change of retaining that title this year through Ismail Nezir, who lowered his PB to 49.59 last month at the Mediterranean Games. Just one athlete in the field has gone quicker than that &ndash; Roshawn Clarke of Jamaica, who set his PB of 49.39 when winning his national U20 title in Kingston last month, while his teammate Antonio Forbes shouldn&rsquo;t be far away given he has run 50.48 this year.
Slovenia&rsquo;s Matic Ian Gucek finished fifth in last year&rsquo;s world U20 final and the 18-year-old will be looking to get on the podium here, which he looks capable of doing after his national U20 record of 49.72 to win the Slovenian senior title last month.
Yeral Nunez of Dominican Republic is another who has been in fine form, setting a national U20 record of 50.07 last month. The Asian challenge is led by Japan&rsquo;s Daiki Ogawa, who has run 50.50 this year, and he will be backed up by compatriot Sojiro Moritaka, who has run 50.71. Qatar&rsquo;s Ismail Doudai Abakar is another worthy of respect &ndash; a 50.62 athlete this season. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s rise in the steeplechase has been moving at a swift pace in recent years and they have a strong contender for the world U20 champion in Sembo Almayew. The 17-year-old has been in sparkling form this season, finishing second at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris in 9:09.19 last month before finishing fifth in her heat at the World Championships in Oregon. She will be joined in Cali by Meseret Yeshaneh, who has a best of 9:33.34.
Kenya, unsurprisingly, will likely provide the stiffest opposition in the event they historically ruled like no other. Their challenge will be led by Faith Cherotich, the 18-year-old who won bronze at the last edition of these championships in Nairobi and who clocked a noteworthy 9:12.04 at altitude in the Kenyan capital back in May. She will be joined in Cali by teammate Pamela Kosgei, who has run 9:54.20 this year.
The European challenge will be led by Spain&rsquo;s Marta Serrano, who was sixth in the last world U20 final in Nairobi and who lowered her PB to 9:48.64 last month.
Morocco&rsquo;s Khadija Ennasri has run 10:00.49 this year, while Tunisia&rsquo;s Rihab Dhahri has run 10:03.15. Peru&rsquo;s Veronica Huacasi, Hungary&rsquo;s Greta Varga and Germany&rsquo;s Carolin Hinrichs have all run below 10:15 and will be a targeting a place in the final at the very least.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h2>
Morocco has the current world and Olympic champion in the men&rsquo;s steeplechase in Soufiane El Bakkali, and in Salaheddine Ben Yazide the nation has an athlete who could one day follow in his footsteps. The 19-year-old tops the world U20 lists with the 8:19.63 he ran at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat back in June and Yazide gained some top-level experience at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 earlier this month, finishing 13th in the heats. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Samuel Firewu is just behind him on the world U20 lists via the 8:19.82 he ran in Ostrava back in May and he backed that up with a fifth-place finish at the African Championships last month. He will be joined by compatriot Samuel Duguna, who has a best of 8:27.40 this season.
Kenya has long proven tough to stop in the hunt for steeplechase medals and their challenge will be led in Cali by Emmanuel Wafula, who has run 8:42.25 this season, and Haron Kibet, who has run 8:43.82.
Uganda has a pair of strong entrants in Elphas Toroitich Ndiwa and Leonard Chemutai, who have run 8:37.3 and 8:40.6 respectively this year, while the US challenge is led by Bryce Lentz who has run 8:39.73. Others to look out for include Japanese duo Ryotaro Onuma and Asahi Kuroda, along with Algeria&rsquo;s Abderrahmane Daoud &ndash; all three have all dipped below 8:50 this year.&nbsp;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

World Athletics U20 Championships

A look at the 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase

WU20 Cali 22 preview: hurdles and steeplechase

Back at the place where she had become the third-fastest women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechaser of all time, Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Norah Jeruto graduated from world U18 champion to senior world champion, leading a historic race at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
The 26-year-old clocked 8:53.65 at Hayward Field last year and emulated that on Wednesday (20), running&nbsp;a championship record of 8:53.02 to consolidate her No.3 spot on the all-time list.
In the first women's 3000m steeplechase race in history where the top three all dipped under nine minutes, Jeruto was followed over the finish line by Ethiopia&rsquo;s African champion Werkuha Getachew in a 8:54.61 national record and Olympic fourth-place finisher Mekides Abebe in a PB of 8:56.08. Those times move them to fourth and fifth respectively behind Jeruto on the world all-time list.
It's Jeruto&rsquo;s first senior global gold and the first ever title for Kazakhstan at the World Athletics Championships.
It was in Lille in 2011 that Jeruto won the world U18 2000m steeplechase title for Kenya. In the process of switching her allegiance to Kazakhstan last year, she missed the Olympic Games but returned to international competition in superb style in Oregon.
Bahrain&rsquo;s 2019 world fourth-placer Winfred Yavi and Jeruto had gone straight to the front of a strong field and stretched it out early on. Jeruto led through the first kilometre in 2:57.72, followed by Yavi and athletes including USA&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Emma Coburn, Uganda&rsquo;s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai, Getachew and Abebe.
The race looked to be a battle between Jeruto, Yavi and Getachew with three laps to go and Jeruto narrowly maintained her place at the front through 2000m, passed in 5:58.29.
Jetuto was a couple of strides ahead with two laps remaining but the leading trio still hadn&rsquo;t shaken Abebe and the 21-year-old closed the gap, sitting in third behind Yavi and Jeruto at the bell.
Yavi pushed ahead but Jeruto fought back and dealt best with the final water jump. That helped her to create a gap on her rivals and when she neatly cleared the final barrier she was away, speading her arms wide in celebration as she reached the finish line.
&ldquo;At the start line I was afraid of my friends from Ethiopia,&rdquo; said the winner. &ldquo;They are also champions like me, so I was scared of them. I tried my best to win the race and it was not easy.
&ldquo;I decided to be at the front because I like to control the race, to make sure I can fight for medals.&rdquo;
And not just any medal. She fought for the gold and celebrated with her fellow medallists by leaping into the water jump.
Jeruto was joined in Oregon by her sister, 2012 world U20 champion Daisy Jepkemei, who ran 9:23.07 to finish sixth in her steeplechase heat.
"I have to say thank you to my father and mother, my coach and opponents, and my manager and my sister," added Jeruto. "She missed out on qualifying for the final but I want to tell her that she is the next champion."
Athletes from six different nations have now won women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase gold at the World Athletics Championships, with Jeruto and&nbsp;Jepkemei being Kazakhstan&rsquo;s first ever entrants in this event on this stage.
In a fast race, two national records were set further down the field. Behind Yavi, who ran 9:01.31 for fourth, Luiza Gega broke the Albanian record with 9:10.04 for fifth, while USA&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Courtney Frerichs was sixth in 9:10.59. Securing seventh was Aimee Pratt in a British record of 9:15.64, one place ahead of Coburn in 9:16.49.
A fast final had been expected after Jeruto made a strong statement in the heats, running 9:01.54 for what was then the second-quickest ever time at the World Championships, including finals. The previous quickest ever heat had been 9:17.67.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 3000m STEEPLECHASE MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Norah Jeruto 🇰🇿 KAZ</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">8:53.02 CR, NR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Werkuha Getachew 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">8:54.61 NR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Mekides Abebe 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">8:56.08 PB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22/results/women/3000-metres-steeplechase/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto graduates from world U18 champion to senior world champion

Jeruto leads fast final, breaking championship record to win world steeplechase gold

After claiming Olympic gold in Tokyo last year, Soufiane El Bakkali can now add the title of world champion to his resume.
Timing his kick to perfection in a slow, tactical race, the Moroccan surged to the lead around the final bend and accelerated down the straight to capture gold in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase on Monday evening (18) at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
The victory gave the 26-year-old El Bakkali a complete set of World Championships medals, adding to the silver he won in London in 2017 and bronze in Doha in 2019.
&ldquo;I am very happy to win my first world title after the Olympic gold,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The race was very difficult; it was very tactical and slow. I positioned myself well on the last lap. I am very strong in the 400m and it worked out for me.&rdquo;
El Bakkali&rsquo;s win in 8:25.13 &ndash; the slowest time in the history of the championships &ndash; snapped Kenya&rsquo;s streak of seven consecutive world titles in the event, including Conseslus Kipruto&rsquo;s run of two straight championships.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma won the silver for the second straight championships in 8:26.01, while Kipruto settled for the bronze this time in 8:27.92. It was the first time a Kenyan has finished out of the top two since 1991.
Kenya had dominated the event for so long, having won 13 of the past 15 titles. The only two previous times Kenya did not claim the title came in 2003 and 2005 when Saif Saaeed Shaheen, a Kenyan-born athlete running for Qatar, claimed the gold.
On a windy night at Hayward Field, El Bakkali extended his mastery over Girma, beating him for the seventh time in eight meetings. The race was similar to the Olympic final in Tokyo, where the Moroccan outkicked the Ethiopian on the final lap.
A potential disaster was fortunately averted on the opening lap. A camera operator, who was recording the women&rsquo;s triple jump final on the infield, stepped on to the track on the home straight and, with his back to the runners, was completely oblivious to the 15 runners who were heading in his direction. Thankfully all of the finalists successfully navigated their way around him without incident.
El Bakkali bided his time in the pack as the lead exchanged hands, with Girma, Kipruto, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Walle and Eritrea&rsquo;s Yemane Haileselassie taking turns at the front. El Bakkali took off with just under 200 metres to go, blowing past the field and running away to the finish.
On his victory lap, El Bakkali took a celebratory plunge into the water jump.
It was only the Moroccan&rsquo;s second trip to the United States, having competed here at the World U20 Championships in 2014.
&ldquo;That was my first international experience,&rdquo; said El Bakkali, who finished fourth on that occasion. &ldquo;I return eight years later as a champion."
A disappointed Girma said he ran the wrong race.
&ldquo;The pace was very slow today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My tactic did not work and that cost me the gold. I was trying to change the tactic but the pace limited me very much. I will go for gold next year and my training is starting from now on.&rdquo;
Wale finished fourth and Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwot fifth in 8:28.68 and 8:28.95, respectively. Evan Jager of the US, a medallist at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships, finished sixth in 8:29.08.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S 3000m STEEPLECHASE MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Soufiane El Bakkali 🇲🇦 MAR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">8:25.13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Lamecha Girma 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">8:26.01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Conseslus Kipruto 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">8:27.92</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22/results/men/3000-metres-steeplechase/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

The same three medallists from 2019 but in reverse order

Olympic champion El Bakkali storms to world steeplechase gold in Oregon

<h2>Women's 3000m steeplechase</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22/timetable/bydiscipline/women/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/3000msc/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2022-06-26&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/women/senior/2022?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2022-07-06" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
In the relatively brief history of this event at the World Athletics Championships, with eight editions since 2005, five different nations have struck gold in the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase and there looks a huge chance for a sixth to join that list in Oregon.&nbsp;
Bahrain and Kazakhstan, neither of which has ever won a World Championships medal in this event, look to hold the two aces in the women&rsquo;s steeplechase pack in Winfred Mutile Yavi and Norah Jeruto.&nbsp;
The Kenyan-born duo have been in sparkling form so far this season, and they were a class apart when taking on most of their main rivals at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene in May. Jeruto proved the stronger, clocking a world lead of 8:57.97 to beat Yavi (8:58.71).&nbsp;
Before that, Jeruto had clocked a highly impressive 9:04.95 at altitude in Nairobi. The 26-year-old has never won a global medal at senior level but she was the world U18 champion back in 2011. She missed last year&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics while in the process of transferring allegiance from Kenya to Kazakhstan, but weeks after the Games she moved to third on the world all-time list with her 8:53.65 in Eugene.&nbsp;
Hayward Field is a stadium that clearly brings out the best in her, but can she produce the same magic in the absence of pacemakers?&nbsp;
Yavi will certainly be hoping to turn the tables and earn her first global medal, having finished eighth in the world final in 2017, fourth in 2019 and 10th in last year&rsquo;s Olympic final. She was ultra-impressive in Paris a few weeks ago when bettering Jeruto&rsquo;s world lead with her winning time of 8:56.55.&nbsp;
Ethiopia&rsquo;s best result in the women&rsquo;s steeplechase at these championships was the bronze won by Sofia Assefa in 2013 but in Mekides Abebe, the 20-year-old who was fourth in the Olympic final last year, they have an athlete capable of bettering that. She finished third to Jeruto and Yavi in Eugene in May in 9:03.26.&nbsp;
Just behind her there was an athlete who we know can handle the white-hot heat of a major championship: Peruth Chemutai. Uganda won gold when this event was first staged at the World Championships in 2005 through&nbsp;Dorcus Inzikuru but they haven&rsquo;t reached the podium since, although Chemutai looks capable of fixing that.&nbsp;The 23-year-old turned in the run of her life to win Olympic gold in Tokyo last year in a national record of 9:01.45 and she finished a close fourth behind her chief rivals in Eugene earlier in the year in 9:05.54. &nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62c955d3fc71dad161ff1ea7.jpg" alt="Peruth Chemutai and Emma Coburn at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019" />
Peruth Chemutai and Emma Coburn at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Werkuha Getachew and Sembo Almayew are two Ethiopians worthy of much respect. Getachew won the African title last month and finished fifth in Eugene in May in a PB of 9:07.81, while 17-year-old Almayew was a late call-up to the national team and this should be the first of many appearances on the global stage. She clocked a PB of 9:09.19 to finish second to Yavi last month in Paris.
Kenya has claimed three of the last four women&rsquo;s steeplechase titles at the World Championships and their chances here will be carried by Celliphine Chespol, Jackline Chepkoech, Beatrice Chepkoech and Purity Kirui.
Beatrice Chepkoech&nbsp;gains an entry as defending world champion, though it&rsquo;s difficult to assess her current form of the world record-holder as she has run the event just once this year, clocking 9:28.34 at altitude to win in Nairobi in April, which she followed up with a below-par 8:50.74 3000m run in Doha in May.&nbsp;
Chespol set a world U20 record of 8:58.78 back in 2017 and is the quickest of the Kenyan quartet this year with the 9:10.17 she ran in Eugene, but she was beaten comprehensively by Jackline Chepkoech at their national trials.&nbsp;
On home soil, the US trio of Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs and Courtney Wayment are sure to put up a strong showing. Coburn, the 2017 world champion, endured bitter disappointment in Tokyo last year but she looked back to her best self when winning her 10th US title last month in 9:10.63, and history has shown the 31-year-old always finds an extra gear when it comes to major championships. She won Olympic bronze in 2016, World Championships gold in 2017 and World Championships silver in 2019.&nbsp;
Following Coburn home there was Wayment, the reigning NCAA champion who clocked a PB of 9:12.10 in that race. Back in third was Frerichs, who clocked 9:16.18 and whose form is steadily coming to the boil &ndash; once again &ndash; for when it matters most.&nbsp;
The 29-year-old went to Tokyo last year with a season&rsquo;s best of 9:11.79 before producing a stunning effort to win Olympic silver in 9:04.79 and as a world silver medallist in 2017, she has the experience to again be in the mix at the front end.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 3000m steeplechase</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22/timetable/bydiscipline/men/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/3000msc/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2022-06-26&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/men/senior/2022?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/3000-metres-steeplechase/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2022-07-06" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
If the form on the circuit is to be believed &ndash; and replicated on this bigger stage &ndash; then the men&rsquo;s steeplechase final in Oregon on 18 July should come down to a two-man battle for gold between Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma and Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali.&nbsp;
But all athletics fans know there&rsquo;s a world of difference between those paced races and the cagey, cat-and-mouse affairs that tend to unfold in major championship finals.
The fate of the medals in the men&rsquo;s steeplechase could hinge on what tactics are employed. If it&rsquo;s an eight-minute final, or slightly below that, then it will come as a huge shock if it&rsquo;s not &ndash; as it was at the Tokyo Olympics &ndash; Girma and El Bakkali duking it out for gold.&nbsp;
But the slower the race goes, the more they would be at risk from a pair of big kickers from Kenya: Conseslus Kipruto and Benjamin Kigen.&nbsp;
Historically, this is a title the Kenyans have defended as if their lives depend on it. Since 1991, and the first of Moses Kiptanui&rsquo;s three world titles, Kenya has won 13 of the 15 men&rsquo;s steeplechase gold medals, the two exceptions being 2003 and 2005, when Saif Saaeed Shaheen &ndash; a Kenyan-born athlete running for Qatar &ndash; claimed gold.&nbsp;
Kipruto is the defending champion, and while his form this season has been unspectacular, he has a blueprint for succeeding off such a build-up.&nbsp;
In 2019 he went to the Doha World Championships with a season&rsquo;s best of just 8:13.75 as he returned from a stress fracture in his ankle, but in the final he clocked 8:01.35 to deny Girma gold in a photo finish. This year he has a best of 8:08.76, which placed him fourth in Rome last month, nine seconds behind Girma, before he coasted to third place at the Kenyan trials, choosing not to race for the win.
He'll be joined in Eugene by Kigen and compatriots Leonard Bett and Abraham Kibiwott. Kibiwott is the quickest of that trio this year, clocking 8:06.73 to finish second in Rome, but Kigen &ndash; the Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo &ndash; is the best kicker and would be highly dangerous in a slow race.&nbsp;
Girma, though, seems unlikely to let that happen. The Ethiopian ensured an honest pace in last year&rsquo;s Olympic final and the 21-year-old has shown he can run under eight minutes almost at his leisure, dipping under that barrier three times in a 10-day spell earlier in the season.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/51c80baf-3e9e-4c8d-bf3f-f47d022db6dc.jpg" alt="Lamecha Girma in the steeplechase at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019" />
Lamecha Girma in the steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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But hopes of a first Ethiopian gold should be kept in check due to one particular statistic: Girma has raced El Bakkali seven times in his career and has only beaten him once &ndash; in the 2019 world final.&nbsp;
As such, El Bakkali will start as the heavy favourite. The 26-year-old Moroccan possesses all the attributes needed for success here: proficient hurdling, oceans of endurance and &ndash; critically &ndash; a key change of gears in the home straight. He outkicked Girma in Tokyo last year to win Olympic gold and did the same in Doha and Rabat this year, setting the world lead of 7:58.28 in the latter event.&nbsp;
He's undoubtedly the current superman of the steeplechase, but if there is a kryptonite that could take him down then it&rsquo;s a fully fit Kipruto.&nbsp;
The Kenyan has an 11-8 record against El Bakkali in this event, but it&rsquo;s worth noting they&rsquo;ve met five times in championship settings. The current tally? 5-0 to Kipruto. The Kenyan would pose a huge threat if still in touch with the leaders at the bell, but expect Girma, in particular, to do everything possible to run his rivals ragged long before then.&nbsp;
Girma will be joined by compatriots Hailemariyam Amare and Getnet Wale so he should have some assistance in keeping the pace strong, just as it was in Tokyo. Wale is an 8:05.21 athlete at his best and has wicked flat speed, with a 7:24.98 indoor 3000m to his name. He finished third in Rome earlier this year in 8:06.74 and fourth in both the Olympic final in Tokyo and the 2019 world final in Doha. Can he finally reach a global senior podium here? He&rsquo;ll need to reach a new level if so. His teammate Amare will have similar goals, having clocked a PB of 8:06.29 in Rabat before doing the steeplechase-5000m double at the African Championships last month.&nbsp;
Evan Jager &ndash; the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World Championships medallist who trains in Portland, a two-hour drive north of Eugene &ndash; is sure to have huge support from the home crowd at his first major championship for five years. Since then Jager has been through a nightmare run of injuries, but he showed his class and resilience by clocking 8:17.29 to qualify at the US Championships last month, finishing second to Hillary Bor.&nbsp;
Bor was seventh in the Olympic final in 2016 and eighth in the world final in 2019 and with a best this year of 8:12.19, he&rsquo;ll be hopeful of improving on those finishes in front of a home crowd that loves its distance running.&nbsp;
The European charge will be led by Italy&rsquo;s Ahmed Abdelwahed, who lowered his PB to 8:10.29 when finishing sixth in Rome, while there is an intriguing presence from India in the event through Avinash Mukund Sable, who lowered his national record to 8:12.48 in Rabat. The 27-year-old was a silver medallist at the Asian Championships in 2019.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

WCH Oregon22 preview: 3000m steeplechase

The Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah was in pandemonium tonight as local hero Soufiane El Bakkali, Morocco&rsquo;s golden champion of the Tokyo Olympics, won the steeplechase in a meeting record and world lead of 7:58.28 at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athletisme de Rabat on Sunday (5).
Earlier the large crowd, relishing the return of the Wanda Diamond League to this arena for the first time in three years, had voiced huge dismay as Norway&rsquo;s Olympic 400m hurdles champion and world record-holder Karsten Warholm, making his keenly anticipated 2022 debut, pulled up and held his right hamstring after clearing the first hurdle.
After that downswing, the final upswing created such excitement that El Bakkali, having once more defeated the man he beat to gold in Tokyo &ndash; Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma &ndash; was mobbed by youngsters as he attempted to leave the arena.
He had tracked Girma all the way before choosing his moment, always appearing in control of his fortunes. It was a huge marker for his prospects of adding world gold this summer to the silver and bronze he already owns.
Girma also dipped under eight minutes, clocking 7:59.24, with his compatriot Hailemariyam Tegegn, who had kept in touch with the two leaders until the final lap, third in a personal best of 8:06.29.
Behind him, the revived and recuperated 2016 Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto took fourth place in 8:12.47, with India&rsquo;s Avinash Mukund Sable fifth in a national record of 8:12.48. A momentous race.
For Warholm, however, the night ended swiftly and unexpectedly.
On the eve of the meeting the Norwegian had commented: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always a lot of nerves when it comes to the season starter because you know you have been putting in a lot of training but you don&rsquo;t know what to expect.&rdquo; True enough. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d227f263094c40bc17507.jpg" alt="Khallifah Rosser in the 400m hurdles in Rabat" />
Khallifah Rosser in the 400m hurdles in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
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 At the start of a sequence he was hoping would take him smoothly on to a third world title and, perhaps, an even faster time than his monumental world record of 45.94, the amiable 26-year-old was suddenly faced with the downside of this sporting life.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s probably a cramp in my hamstring &ndash; my leg seized up,&rdquo; Warholm said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not fun to stop like this. It&rsquo;s not something I expected, I felt very, very good. So we will just have to see what is happening.&rdquo;
As the world and Olympic champion was convening despondently on the first bend with his long-time coach Leif Olav Alnes, the departed field arrived at the line, with Khallifah Rosser crossing first in a meeting record of 48.25 from Estonia&rsquo;s Rasmus Magi, who clocked 48.73.
So Alison dos Santos, the 21-year-old Brazilian who took Olympic bronze last year, looks like he might be safe for a while yet at the top of this year&rsquo;s world list with the 47.23 he clocked at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene.
A third meeting record was set in the women&rsquo;s 100m.
Jamaica&rsquo;s double Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who had maintained on the eve of competition that she was &ldquo;not in the best shape&rdquo; nevertheless delivered a smooth performance that brought her victory in 10.83.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast was second in 11.04, from Natasha Morrison of Jamaica, who clocked 11.22. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d222e263094c40bc17501.jpg" alt="Elaine Thompson-Herah in the 100m in Rabat" />
Elaine Thompson-Herah in the 100m in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
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<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>Ceh and Tentoglou maintain momentum</h2>
Kristjan Ceh retained his current hero status in the men&rsquo;s discus. The 22-year-old Slovenian, who retains his glasses during competition, has something of the look of Clark Kent &ndash; but he is currently throwing like Superman.
Having set a Diamond League and Slovenian record of 71.27m in Birmingham, improving on his previous PB of 68.75m and moving up to 10th on the all-time list, Ceh repeated the trick with a massive effort of 69.42m.
That took over the lead from Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl, who had managed 67.16m in the previous round. And after Ceh improved still further to 69.68m in the final round, Stahl could only muster 62.53m.
Australia&rsquo;s Matthew Denny also excelled himself on the night, taking third place with a personal best of 67.07m.
Greece&rsquo;s Olympic long jump gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou made good on his vow to &ldquo;defend the long jump pride&rdquo; by beating decathlete Simon Ehammer of Switzerland, who cleared a world-leading 8.45m at last weekend&rsquo;s combined events competition in G&ouml;tzis. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d22a5263094c40bc1750a.jpg" alt="Miltiadis Tentoglou in the long jump in Rabat" />
Miltiadis Tentoglou in the long jump in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
</div>
 While Tentoglou, who added another gold to his collection in March at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, carried the day with his fourth-round effort of 8.27m, the Swiss still rides high.
Ehammer &ndash; reported to be contemplating doubling up at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 &ndash; had taken the lead with his third-round distance of 8.11m.
He improved that to 8.13m in the final round after Tentoglou, who had thrown his arms up in frustration as a handsome-looking fifth attempt was ruled out, had failed to register a final distance.
Olympic bronze medallist Maykel Masso of Cuba was third with 8.08m.
<h2>Convincing 1500m wins for Meshesha and Wightman</h2>
Ethiopia dominated the women&rsquo;s 1500m, with Hirut Meshesha, who was five metres clear when the second of the two pacers stepped away with 500 metres remaining, held on to her lead despite the challenge around the final bend of Freweyni Hailu, who moved out into lane two to try to move past her compatriot but lacked the strength to make any further impression.
Meshesha crossed in a personal best of 3:57.30, with the 21-year-old Hailu second in 3:58.18 and Axumawit Embaye taking third place in 3:58.80 ahead of Australia&rsquo;s Georgia Griffith, who gamely kept in touch with the lead throughout and was rewarded with a personal best of 4:00.16. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d2259263094c40bc17504.jpg" alt="Hirut Meshesha wins the 1500m in Rabat" />
Hirut Meshesha wins the 1500m in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
</div>
 Britain&rsquo;s Jake Wightman ran a perfectly judged race to win the men&rsquo;s 1500m in 3:32.62 ahead of his compatriot, fellow Olympic finalist and namesake Jake Heyward, who clocked 3:33.54.
Wightman made his move on the final lap, moving clear down the home straight to finish in composed fashion, with home athlete Abellatif Sadiki finishing strongly to take third place in 3:33.93 as Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir, a front-runner until the final 100 metres, falling all the way back to seventh place.
Kenya&rsquo;s 17-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the world U20 800m champion, followed up his victory in Ostrava on Wednesday with another assured display that belied his age, maintaining himself within striking distance of the lead throughout and finishing strongest in 1:45.47.
Botswana&rsquo;s fast-finishing 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos was second in 1:45.66 with France&rsquo;s Gabriel Tual striving hugely for third place in 1:45.71.
Kenya&rsquo;s Collins Kipruto dropped away to fourth over the final 50 metres, but his compatriots Emmanuel Korir and Ferguson Rotich, the respective Olympic gold and silver medallists, had an even less happy time in warm but blustery conditions, finishing eighth and 10th respectively in 1:46.93 and 1:47.72.
Like the men&rsquo;s steeplechase, the women&rsquo;s 3000m produced sustained competition as Kenya&rsquo;s Mercy Cherono and European indoor champion Amy-Eloise Markovc battled all the way down the finishing straight before the Kenyan edged home in 8:40.29, 0.03 clear.
Cherono had tracked the US-based Briton round the final bend before striking for home, but Markovc resolutely refused to let any light develop between them and was rewarded with a personal best of 8:40.32, with Ethiopian teenager Medina Eisa third in 8:41.42.
Three years after making his international debut at this meeting &ndash; where he finished fourth in 20.51 &ndash; Kenny Bednarek returned as the Olympic 200m silver medallist, and he gave a performance in keeping with that standing as he won in 20.21 from lane seven, comfortably clear of South Africa&rsquo;s Luxolo Adams, who clocked 20.35.
The women&rsquo;s 400m saw the Dominican Republic&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist and world leader Marileidy Paulino finishing two metres clear in 50.10, with Sada Williams of Barbados second in 50.74 and Stephenie Ann McPherson of Jamaica third in 51.37.
<h2>Jumps victories for Morris, Mahuchikh and Lafond</h2>
Sandi Morris, set on following successive world pole vault silvers with gold in the home setting of Eugene, Oregon this summer, maintained her winning form with a confident display.
By contrast, her training partner Katie Nageotte, the Olympic champion, failed to clear her opening height of 4.30m. Morris, meanwhile, did not enter the competition until 4.55m, clearing at the second attempt, and a first-time clearance at 4.65m confirmed victory. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d233f263094c40bc1750d.jpg" alt="Triple jump winner Thea Lafond in Rabat" />
Triple jump winner Thea Lafond in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
</div>
 Australia&rsquo;s Nina Kennedy was also clear first time at 4.65m, despite making 4.55m on her third attempt, but then had to retire. Greece&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi was third, clearing 4.55m first time but then being unable to make 4.65m.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist and world silver medal-winning high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who has already earned world indoor gold this year, maintained her winning momentum with a first-time clearance at 1.96m before skipping up to take three unsuccessful attempts at 2.01m.
Like her two compatriots Iryna Gerashchenko and Yuliya Levchenko, the 20-year-old was sporting a badge pinned to her vest in support of Ukraine&rsquo;s resistance to the Russian invasion.
Gerashchenko cleared 1.93m and took second place on countback ahead of Australia&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olsylagers &ndash; formerly McDermott &ndash; and Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Nadezhda Dubovitskaya.
Thea Lafond of Dominica won the women&rsquo;s triple jump with a fifth-round effort of 14.46m, with Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica second with 14.43m and Slovenia&rsquo;s Neja Filipic third, a centimetre behind.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

World and Olympic 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm pulls up after the first barrier

El Bakkali rocks Rabat with world-leading steeplechase victory

A look back at the key moments of 2021 in the middle and long distance events

2021 review: middle and long distance

As the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2021 continues, we shine a spotlight on the five women and five men who have been nominated for this year&rsquo;s Rising Star awards.
The winners will be selected by an international panel of experts and be announced live at the World Athletics Awards 2021 on 1 December.
&nbsp;
<h2>Zerfe Wondemagegn</h2>
Having already represented Ethiopia at the senior World Championships in 2019 at the age of 16, steeplechase specialist Zerfe Wondemagegn made a big step up in class in 2021.
The Ethiopian Olympic Trials in Hengelo was her first international race of the season, but she showed no signs of rustiness as she booked her place on the national team with a third-place finish. Her clocking of 9:16.95 also broke the Ethiopian U20 record and elevated her to fourth on the world U20 all-time list. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/619783968c2f740e0c96c95c.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 She didn&rsquo;t race again over the barriers until the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Despite being the youngest of all 41 entrants in the steeplechase, Wondemagegn advanced through the heats and reached the final. Up against the best steeplechasers in the world, Wondemagegn finished eighth in 9:16.41, once again breaking the national U20 record and consolidating her position on the world U20 all-time list.
She was back on national duty just two weeks later at the World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21, where she earned the silver medal behind Kenya&rsquo;s Jackline Chepkoech.
&nbsp;
<h2>Sasha Zhoya</h2>
French youngster Sasha Zhoya is one of the most all-round gifted athletes on the planet, but this year he focused almost exclusively on the sprint hurdles this year &ndash; and it more than paid off.
He opened his season with a swift 13.38 clocking into a -3.8m/s headwind, hinting that much more was to come. It wasn&rsquo;t long before he improved on that, as six days later he ran 13.02 on his way to winning the French U20 title, elevating him to fourth on the world U20 list.
His momentum continued at the European U20 Championships in Tallinn, where he ran 12.98 in the semifinals. His time was faster than the official world U20 record, but the 2.4m/s following wind meant it wasn&rsquo;t valid for record purposes. One day later, he won the gold medal in a championship record of 13.05. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gLTlyHFdHRU" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Zhoya capped his season at the World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21. After breezing through his heat in 13.12, he broke the world U20 record in the semifinals with 12.93. He went much quicker in the final the next day, stopping the clock at a sensational 12.72 (1.0m/s) &ndash; the fastest time ever recorded for the 110m hurdles at any age level and in any conditions.
&ldquo;Now all I need to do is to replicate my junior performance to the senior category as I focus on transiting into the seniors,&rdquo; he said after his triumph in the Kenyan capital. &ldquo;I am ready to tackle all the senior competitions in 2022, including the World Championships in Oregon.&rdquo;

We focus on the five women and five men who have been nominated for this year’s Rising Star awards.

Spotlight on Rising Stars: Zerfe Wondemagegn and Sasha Zhoya

There is something of the Usain Bolt about Soufiane El Bakkali.
Standing on the start line, or clipping around the track in that smooth, upright style of his, the 1.88m (6ft 2in) tall steeplechaser appears to be, if not quite fully head and shoulders above the opposition, then somewhere approaching it.
The 25-year-old Moroccan proved to be so in metaphorical terms when it came to the crunch in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final on the sodden Tokyo Olympic Stadium track.&nbsp;
After the storm, El Bakkali was a picture of calm as he bided his time, gathering himself for the burst round the final bend that took him clear of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma for his country&rsquo;s first Olympic track and field gold since Hicham El Guerrouj&rsquo;s memorable 1500m-5000m double in Athens 17 long years ago.
Girma took Ethiopia&rsquo;s first Olympic men&rsquo;s steeplechase medal and Benjamin Kigen claimed bronze for Kenya. It was Kenya&rsquo;s 22nd&nbsp;medal in the event but scant consolation for the nation that has monopolised male steeplechasing at the Games. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61114e300b50f0d9adf58a78.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Indeed, you have to track all of the way back to the last Olympics held in Japan&rsquo;s capital city &ndash; back to 1964 &ndash; to find the last time that Kenya failed to bring a Midas touch to bear in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase.
Yes, the brilliant, half-Scottish Bronislaw Malinowski won gold for Poland ahead of the great Tanzanian middle distance man Filbert Bayi in Moscow in 1980, and Sweden&rsquo;s&nbsp;Anders Garderud&nbsp;did likewise ahead of Malinowski in Montreal in 1976. But those were both Games that were boycotted by Kenya.
Kenya made their debut in the 3000m steeplechase in Tokyo in 1964. Their sole representative, Benjamin Kogo, finished fifth in his heat and failed to advance. Gaston Roelants of Belgium won the final, ahead of Britain&rsquo;s Maurice Herriott.
Since then, boycotts apart, it has &ndash; or had &ndash; been gold all the way for Kenya: Amos Biwott (1968), Kip Keino (1972), Julius Korir (1984), Julius Kariuki (1984), Matthew Birir (1992), Joseph Keter (1996), Reuben Kosgei (2000), Ezekiel Kemboi (2004), Brimin Kipruto (2008), Kemboi again (2012) and Conselsus Kipruto (2016). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611188dedf02a67dc9cfab7c.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The Rio final five years ago made it nine successive Olympic golds and yet the result was greeted as a disappointment back home, being the first since 1984 from which Kenya had taken just the one medal. There would have been bronze as well as gold had Kemboi not been disqualified for stepping off the track at a water jump.
That decision upgraded the colourful Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad to third place, and a 20-year-old El Bakkali to fourth, 2.43 seconds shy of a podium spot. It was familiar territory for the young Moroccan. At the 2014 World U20 Championships in Eugene, Bakkali had placed fourth behind Kenyans Barnabas Kipyego and Titus Kibiego and Burundi&rsquo;s Evans Chematot.
And yet El Bakkali&rsquo;s ascent to Olympic gold medal winner was no bolt from the blue. Far from it.
Save for the 2019 World Championships final in Doha, when Conselsus Kipruto rose Lazarus-like to retain his global crown five months after a stress fracture (and El Bakkali took bronze behind the emerging Girma), the man from Fez has been the dominant force in his specialist event.
El Bakkali has won five out of six Diamond League steeplechases he has contested in the past three seasons. And his 3:31.95 for third place in the Doha Diamond League 1500m in May this year (a PB by 2.43), behind Timothy Cheruiyot and Stewart McSweyn, showed a glint of golden sharpness.
With Kipruto having failed to finish at the Kenyan trials, El Bakkali arrived in Tokyo as the pedigree contender. Since finishing fourth in Rio in 2016, he has now claimed a medal in three successive global finals, with a silver from the 2017 World Championships in London (behind Kipruto) and bronze in Doha in 2019 (behind Kipruto and Girma).
He has also joined a hallowed list from Moroccan Olympic track and field: Nawal El Moutawakel (400m hurdles, 1984), Said Aouita (5000m, 1984), Brahim Boutayeb (10,000m, 1988), Khalid Skah (10,000m, 1992) and El Guerrouj (1500m and 5000m, 2004). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6107e7f0f5668a58772985bf.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 "I have been aiming for this for years,&rdquo; El Bakkali reflected. &ldquo;This was my opportunity to show that Morocco is capable of winning this prize.
"It is a big accomplishment for me. I am so used to seeing Kenyans win.
"It was not easy for me to be in front of the Kenyans and Ethiopians. I know how hard it is to be first in front of them."
At 25, El Bakkali has time to consolidate his hard-earned position as the planet&rsquo;s pre-eminent male steeplechaser. With a PB of 7:58.15 from the Monaco Diamond League meeting in 2018, he stands 10th on the world all-time list. Saif Saaeed Shaheen&rsquo;s 17-year-old world record is 7:53.63.&nbsp;
The global mark before that was held by a Moroccan. Brahim Boulami clocked 7:55.28 in Brussels in 2001, ending 23 years of ownership by a succession of Kenyans, stretching back to Henry Rono in 1978. It remains the Moroccan record.
Then, of course, there is a world title up for grabs in Eugene next year. The Kenyan fist has not been quite so tight on World Championships gold but they have won 13 of 17 men&rsquo;s golds in the 3000m steeplechase - including the last seven in a row, courtesy of Brimin Kipruto (2007), Kemboi (2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015) and Conselsus Kipruto (2017 and 2019).
The challenge now for Morocco&rsquo;s Olympic champion is to follow in the footsteps of (West) Germany&rsquo;s Patriz Ilg (1983), Italy&rsquo;s Francesco Panetta (1987) and Qatar&rsquo;s Shaheen (2003 and 2005) by finishing a cut above the Kenyans and the rest again on the Oregon trail in 2022.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

There is something of the Usain Bolt about Soufiane El Bakkali.