Moroccan Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali and his compatriot Salah Eddine Benyzed qualified today, Saturday, for the final of the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which will run until September 21.
El Bakkali secured first place in the third qualifying heat with a time of 8 minutes, 26.99 seconds, ahead of Ethiopia’s Lamesha Jirma (8:27.79) and the United States’ Daniel Michalski (8:28.76).
Meanwhile, Benyzed finished first in the second heat, recording a time of 8 minutes, 27.21 seconds, surpassing New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish (8:27.23) and Ethiopia’s Samuel Firew (8:27.54).
Conversely, Mohamed Tindouft was eliminated from the 3000m steeplechase after finishing the first heat in 8:35.73, while Mustafa El Faïd placed eleventh in the same heat with a time of 8:44.10.
The top five athletes from each heat will qualify for the final, which is set to take place on September 15.
Morocco is represented at the 20th World Athletics Championships, hosted in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, by a delegation of 20 male and female athletes (14 men and 6 women).
The men’s team includes Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali, Mohamed Tindouft, Salah Eddine Benyzed, and Mustafa El Faïd (3000m steeplechase), as well as Anas Saïdi, Fouad Messaoudi, and Hafid Razi (1500m), Saad Hiniti (400m hurdles), Abdelrahman Al Assal, Abdelati Lkass, Moaad Zahafi (800m), and Othman El Komiri, Mohamed Reda Al Arabi, and Soufiane Boukantaar (marathon).
The female competitors participating in the Tokyo World Championships are Asiya Razi (800m), Fatima Zahra Kerdadi, Rahma Al Tahiri, and Kawtar Farqousi (marathon), Sakinah Haji (800m), and Bahia Al Arfaoui (1500m).
It is noteworthy that Morocco has won 33 medals in its 19 participations at the World Athletics Championships, including 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze medals.
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