Kenya's hopes of adding a gold medal to their bag were dashed after former World Champion Conselslus Kipruto finished third in the men's 3,000m steeplechase race in Oregon.
Olympic champion El Bakkali stormed to victory in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon after clocking 8:25:13.
Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma bagged silver as Kenya’s reigning world champion Kipruto took bronze.
Also Read: Kenya's Faith Kipyegon Storms to Gold in 1,500m Race in Oregon
Kipruto has been struggling to regain his form after picking an injury that forced him out of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Other Kenyans who were in the race included Abraham Kibiwott and Leonard Bett who finished fifth and last respectively.
Kenya has dominated in the 3,000m race and have won gold in the event in every edition of the championships since Brimin Kipruto's gold in Osaka in 2007.
Bakkali became the first non-Kenyan athlete in the history of the World Athletics Championships to win the men's 3,000m steeplechase title.
On Tuesday morning (EAT), a Moroccan athlete set another record by becoming the first non-Kenyan to hold both the Olympic and world titles in the men's 3,000m steeplechase event.
Moses Kiptanui was the first Kenyan to ever win the race back in1991 and since then Kenya has won a total of 13 gold medals out of 15.
Other exceptions came in 2003 and 2005 as Saif Saaeed Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono, a Kenyan-born athlete who run for Qatar won gold.
Also Read: Obiri Set to Ditch Track Events for Marathon After World Championships