Rabat DL: Kipruto renews rivalry with Olympic champion El Bakkali

Rabat Diamond League (DL) has assembled one of the best fields in different races and the men's 3000m steeplechase promises to be one for the books.

In a race that has, for years, been dominated by Kenyan athletes internationally, the country finally lost that grip during the Tokyo Olympics as Soufiane El Bakkali won gold. 

He thus became the first non-Kenyan to win the men’s Olympic steeplechase title since Poland’s Bronislaw Malinowski in 1980 and the first to win it at a Games where Kenya were contesting the title since Belgium’s Gaston Roelants in 1964.

Rabat's race may not be an Olympic or even a world championship race, but alot is at stake as athletes gear up for the upcoming championship in Oregon later in July. 

Home boy El Bakkali, will be the centre of attention for home fans as he faces the two athletes who followed him home in Tokyo – Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma and Benjamin Kigen of Kenya. 

Also on the field is Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medalist Abraham Kibiwott as well as returning double world champion and 2016 Olympics gold medalist Consenslus Kipruto. 

Also on the field is France’s 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Bennabad, who hasn’t completed a steeplechase race since winning the European title in 2018.

El Bakkali whose Olympic gold came after missing out on a medal by one place at the Rio 2016 Games, will certainly be hoping to fare better than he did at the last edition of this meeting.

Rabat DL: Star-studded 800m field as five Kenyans clash

On that occasion he fell away to 11th place as Getnet Wale pressed on to win in an Ethiopian record of 8:6.01, although three months later El Bakkali added world bronze in Doha to the world silver he had won in London in 2017.

This is Kipruto's first international race since clinching the world title in 2019 and was not in Tokyo to defend his title. He struggled with injury and even before the 2019 Championship in Doha. 

To add salt to injury, Kipruto was also in the corridors of justice two years ago facing accusations of defilement. 

He completed his first race in almost three years when he competed at the National Championships, where he requested to run in the final to gauge his recovery, finishing fifth. He was also in action at the Kip Keino Classic where he finished fifth. 

“I just wanted to finish the race. This was important for me mentally. I had to show my mind that I can do it. It was my way of telling Kenyans and the world that I am back. I know I am not in good shape, but by July when I go to the World Championships to defend my title, I know my body will be okay,” Kipruto had said after his national championship race.

Kipruto has faced off with El Bakkali on numerous occasions before he fell off the wagon, one of the most memorable meetings probably being when Kipruto clocked 8:10.15 to win the Zurich DL in 2018 ahead of the Moroccan despite having lost his shoe a minute into the race.