NAIROBI, Kenya, September 13 – Amos Serem stormed to victory in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the season-ender Brussels Diamond League on Friday evening as Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali tasted defeat for the first time since 2021.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medalist clocked 8:06.90 as two-time Olympics champion El Bakkali came second in 8:08.60.
Tunisia’s Amin Mohammed Jhinaoui came third in 8:09.68.
Victory in the Belgian capital was a perfect way for Serem to redeem himself after a subpar showing at the Paris Olympics where he timed 8:19.74 to finish 14th in the men’s final.
Redemption was always knocking at his door following his second-place finish at his last race at the Silesia Diamond League where he ran 8:04.29.
Marvelous Moraa
At the same competition, Olympics bronze medalist Mary Moraa secured her second consecutive Diamond League Trophy after clocking a season’s best of 1:56.56 to clinch the women’s 800m.
Great Britain’s Georgia Bell came second in 1:57.50 as Natoya-Goule Toppin of Jamaica timed 1:58.94 in third.
Moraa had come into the race on a roll, having won at Doha, Lausanne and Zurich, in addition to notching podium finishes at Prefontaine (2nd) and Silesia (3rd) legs of the circuit.
The world champion also smashed the world record for the women’s 800m, clocking 1:21.63 at the ISTAF Berlin Meet in Germany, a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, the 2019 World 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot finished second in the men’s 1500m after running 3:30.93.
Olympics 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigsten of Norway continued his excellent run on the Diamond League circuit, clocking 3:30.37 to take top honours.
Olympics 1500m champion Cole Hocker of the United States had to be content with third, timing a close 3:30.94.
Other Kenyans in the race — the 2022 World Under 20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot (3:32.50) and African champion Brian Komen (3:33.21) — finished seventh and ninth respectively whereas Boaz Kiprugut did not finish.
No podium for Kenyans
In the men’s 5000m, Olympics 10,000m silver medalist Berihu Aregawi spearheaded a clean Ethiopian podium sweep after timing a season’s best of 12:43.66 to finish first.
Hagos Gebhriwet (12:44.25) and Haile Telahun Bekele (12:45.63) were second and third respectively.
Nicholas Kimeli was Kenya’s best performer, clocking a season’s best of 12:49.59 in fourth.
The disappointment notwithstanding, Kenya will be hopeful of more podium finishes on Day Two of the competition on Saturday.
Olympics champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will be in action in the men’s 800m as will be Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal.
Olympics 5000m and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet will be the outstanding favourite in the women’s 5000m where she will be accompanied by her countrywoman, the 2022 African champion Caroline Nyaga.
Triple Olympics champion Faith Kipyegon is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the women’s 1500m.
Youngster Nelly Chepchirchir, who recently won the women’s 800m at the Zagreb World Continental Tour, will line up in the same race.
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Olympics bronze medalist Faith Cherotich will be Kenya’s sole representative where she will come up against familiar faces in Olympics champion — Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi of Bahrain — as well as the Tokyo 2020 champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda.
