Soufiane El Bakkali (Arabic: سفيان البقالي; born 7 January 1996[4]) is a Moroccan middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He is a two-time Olympic champion, having won gold in the event at both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics. He has also achieved significant success at the World Athletics Championships, securing back-to-back gold medals in 2022 and 2023. El Bakkali was also the 2022 Diamond League champion in his specialist event and is known for breaking Kenya's decades-long dominance in the steeplechase.
He gained selection for Morocco at the 2016 Summer Olympics after a personal best of 8:14.41 minutes to take fourth in his specialist event at the Herculis meeting.[6] At the Rio Olympics, El Bakkali improved his personal best further to 8:14.35 minutes and finished fourth.[7]
On 3 September 2020, he won the 1500 metres race at the 14th International Marseille Athletics Meeting in France.[8]
El Bakkali qualified to represent Morocco at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics[9] where he won the gold medal in his signature event with a time of 8:08.90, ahead of Girma in 8:10.38 and Benjamin Kigen (8:11.45). He thus became the first non-Kenyan-born athlete to win the title since Poland's Bronislaw Malinowski did so at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and the first non-Kenyan born gold medallist at the Olympics or World Championships since 1987.[10][11] On 18 September 2021, El Bakkali won his speciality event at the Kip Keino Classic meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, finishing with an 8:21.20 clocking.[12][13]
El Bakkali in the 2022 World Athletics Championships
On 18 July 2022 at the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, El Bakkali became the world champion, winning the gold medal in the 3000 m steeplechase with a time of 8:25.13 ahead of Lamecha Girma (8:26.01) and Conseslus Kipruto (8:27.92).[14] In September at the Diamond League final in Zürich, he claimed his first Diamond Trophy. Just three days later, he capped his fine season with an African best in the 2000 m steeplechase, running 5:14.06 at the Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb to move to third on the world all-time list for the event.[15] El Bakkali was undefeated and ran the fastest time in the world that season, clocking 7:58.28 at Rabat Diamond League. In November, he was shortlisted for the World AthleticsMale Athlete of the Year award.[16]
On 22 August 2023, El Bakkali won his second World Championship gold medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships after placing first in the final race with a time of 8:03.53.[17][18]
On 7 August 2024, at the Paris Olympics, El Bakkali defended his Olympic title in the 3000 m steeplechase, winning in a time of 8:06.05. He overtook American Kenneth Rooks in the final straightaway, who took the lead in the bell lap.[19]
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