Amos Serem stuns Olympics champion Soufiane El Bakkali to claim steeplechase Diamond League title

Amos Serem ran a tactical race to shock Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali and take the crown in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

Serem led from gun to tape, with his hard work eventually paying off with a commanding win in a time of 8:06.90 ahead of El Bakkali who went into the race looking to defend his title. He was forced to finish second in a time of 8:08.60 as Tunisia's Mohamed Amin sealed the podium in 8:09.68.

Another Kenyan in the race, Abraham Kibiwott, faded to a fourth-place in 8:10.51 after running alongside Serem, the African Games 3000m steeplechase silver medallist for the better part of the race.

Meanwhile, the race started with the Kenyan duo of Serem and Kibiwott making their intentions clear by running from the front. Passing the 400m mark, Amos Serem was running from the front with compatriot Abraham Kibiwott, who claimed a bronze medal in the men’s race at the Paris Olympic Games. Getnet Wale was also running from the front.

Passing the 1000m mark, defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali started moving upwards and was now running in fifth place with Kibiwott and Serem still looking comfortable following the pacemakers.

At the 1600m mark, the athletes maintained their positions with Ethiopia’s Wale running in third place. Samwel Firewu closely followed the Moroccan steeplechase star before Spain’s Daniel Arce overtook him as the race intensified.

The pacemakers dropped at around the 2000m mark and Serem and Kibiwott were now dominating the race with Arce running in third place. Bakkali still looked comfortable as he was running in fifth place.

Passing the 2600m mark, Bakkali started running to the front and passed Kibiwott who was fighting hard to maintain his second place. However, the reigning Olympic champion proved too strong for him.

However, Serem proved too strong for Bakkali and they battled all through to the finish line. The Kenyan clocked 8:06.90 to cross the finish line ahead of Bakkali who timed 8:08.60.

The win is a huge breakthrough for Serem who struggled to impress at the Paris Olympic Games. He reached the final of the event but finished a dismal 14th place. After the Olympics, Serem competed at the Diamond League Meeting in Silesia, finishing second behind El Bakkali and has now earned his revenge over the Moroccan.