Edmund Serem Bags Bronze as Geordie Beamish Stuns Soufiane El Bakkali on the Line in Thrilling 3000m SC Final

Two Kenyans, Edmund Serem and Abraham Kibiwott, lined up in a stacked field for the men's 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, looking to reclaim Kenya's lost glory in the steepelchase.

The last time Kenya won a gold medal in the men's 3000m steeplechase at the World Championships was at the 2019 global showpiece in Doha, Qatar. Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma, the world record holder, and Soufiane El Bakkali finished second and third in that race.

At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Conseslus Kipruto finished third, and at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Abraham Kibiwott finished claimed the bronze.

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With defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali and the world record holder, Lamecha Girma, the race was surely going to be one for the books.

The first laps were relaxed, with no runner interested in taking charge of the race. At this point, Edmund Serem and Abraham Kibiwott were looking comfortable.

With five laps to go, Edmund Serem was running in the lead, with home talent, Ryuji Miura, holding onto the lead too. Soufiane El Bakkali was running from behind, as usual, waiting for the ideal time to strike.

Frederick Ruppert, who claimed the Diamond League Meeting final in Zurich, was also looking comfortable running in the leading group. Samuel Firewu was also in the mix.

World 3000m steeplechase and Olympic bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwott was also running from behind with Soufiane El Bakkali, perhaps waiting to learn from his tactics, but he failed to finish the race.

Just before the final lap, the battle was now between Soufiane El Bakkali and Lamecha Girma, with the crowd going loud for home talent Ryuji Miura. However, Lamecha Girma started slowly fading and ended up finishing the race in sixth place in 8:35.60.

Soufiane El Bakkali was now looking to make a mark, sprinting to the final with about 400m to go, but New Zealand's Geordie Beamish came from behind and was on his neck. Beamish eventually held on and beat the defending champion on the line.

Geordie Beamish crossed the finish line in 8:33.88 ahead of Soufiane El Bakkali, who was forced to finish second in the race, clocking 8:33.95. Young Edmund Serem, just 17, took a bronze medal, his first-ever competing at the senior level, as he clocked 8:34.56.