El Bakkali and Faith Kipyegon at the top of their game

Africa was in again by winning 3 new gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals on day 4 of the Eugene World championships taking place in the United States. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (1500m), Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslasie (Marathon) and Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali (3000m steeplechase) were the main architects of the success of the African continent. The harvest is 6 Gold; 6 Silver and 3 Bronze medals.

 

After winning an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year, Soufiane El Bakkali can now add the title of world champion to her prize list. The Moroccan won the 3000m steeplechase final in 8'25''13 ahead of Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma (8'26''01) and Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto (8'27''92). El Bakkali becomes the third Moroccan athlete to be both world champion and Olympic champion, after Said Aouita and Hicham El Guerrouj. It was also the first time a Kenyan had finished outside the top two since 1991. Kenya had dominated the event for so long, having won 13 of the last 15 titles. The only two times Kenya failed to win the title was in 2003 and in 2005 when Saif Saaeed Shaheen, a Kenyan-born athlete running for Qatar, won the gold medal.

Faith Kipyegon, double Olympic champion in 2016 in Rio and in 2021 in Tokyo, and double world champion in 2017 in London and in 2022 in Eugene, is at the top of her game. She gave Kenya its first gold medal in Eugene. It was in a hard-fought race that the Kenyan won clocking 3'52''96, ahead of Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay (3'54''52) and the British Laura Muir (3'55''28). At the same time, she signed the tenth best performance of all time in 1500m.

Gotytom Gebreslasie followed the steps of her compatriot Tamirat Tola by winning the women's world marathon title in a championship record time of 2h18min11sec. A historic double for the Ethiopian marathon. Gotytom Gebreslasie succeeds thus to Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich who gave up at the 19th kilometer. The 27-year-old Ethiopian past ahead of Kenya’s Judith Korir (2h18mn20s) and the Israeli of Kenyan origin, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (2h20mn18s).

Rosemary CHUKWUMA, Nzubechi Grace NWOKOCHA, Favor Ofili (Nigeria), Gina Bass (Gambia), Aminatou Seni (Niger), Beatrice Masilingi (Namibia), Jessika Gbai (Cote d'Ivoire) brilliantly illustrated themselves by winning a place for the Women's 200m semi-finals. Joseph Fahnbulleh (Liberia), Sinesipho Dambile, Luxolo Adams (South Africa), Tarsis Gracious Orogot (Uganda), Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike (Nigeria), Guy Maganga Corra (Gabon) also qualified for the semi-finals scheduled for today. The other highlights of the day 4 bear the imprint of Yulimar Rojas from Venezuela (15m47 in the Triple Jump), the Belgian of Senegalese origin Nafissatou Thiam (6947 points in the heptathlon) and the Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim (2m37 in High Jump).

Program of the day

 

Tuesday July 19 (Wednesday GMT)

 

00:15 a.m.: Women’s 400m hurdles heats

00:40 a.m.: Women's high jump final

1:05 a.m.: Women's 200m semi-finals

1:33 a.m.: Men's discus final

1:50 a.m.: Men's 200m semi-finals

2:30 a.m.: Men's 1,500m final

2:50 a.m.: Men's 400m hurdles final