2022 Rabat DL: Soufiane El Bakkali Wins Steeple Thriller, Karsten Warholm Pulls Up Injured

By Jonathan Gault and Robert Johnson
June 5, 2022

The WANDA Diamond League made its lone African stop today with the Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athletisme de Rabat taking place and it did not disappoint. The hometown fans went away happy after Soufiane El Bakkali won a thrilling men’s steeplechase in 7:58, in a race where two men broke 8:00 for the first time since 2012. The biggest news, however, came earlier when world record holder and Olympic champ Karsten Warholm pulled up injured in the 400 hurdles. We recap all of the action for you below, starting with the mid-d and distance events.

Men’s steeplechase: El Bakkali wins a thriller to the delight of the home crowd

The meet organizers put the men’s steeple last on the schedule in order to fete Moroccan Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, and it could not have worked out much better as El Bakkali prevailed in a terrific duel with Olympic silver medalist Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia in what was undoubtedly the race of the day. El Bakkali ran a world-leading 7:58.28 to Girma’s 7:59.24 as two men broke 8:00 in the same race for the first time in more than 10 years (and just the eighth time, period).

The pace started quickly with the pacemaker leading the field through 1k in 2:38 (7:56 pace), but it would slow to 2:47 for the second kilometer. At that point, Girma picked it up with a 63.6 penultimate lap in an attempt to draw the sting out of El Bakkali’s kick, but it was no use. El Bakkali was still there at the bell and made his move on the back straight to pass Girma. It worked, but Girma wasn’t going away, and coming off the final water jump the outcome was still in doubt.

El Bakkali made sure the screaming Moroccan fans would go home happy, however, as he pulled away over the final 100 to take the win. He pulled up slightly at the line, which may have cost him a personal best (he missed it by .13), but was clearly spent; meet officials tried to drape him in the Moroccan flag at the finish line, but after some brief celebrations, El Bakkali instead collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion (he was fine, just tired).

El Bakkali was spent after winning this one

A little further back, reigning world champ Conseslus Kipruto broke 8:30 for the first time in almost three years, running 8:12.47 for 4th, while India’s Avinash Sable finished just behind, in the process lowering his own national record from 8:16.21 to 8:12.48 (in a country of 1.4 billion, no one else has run within 18 seconds of Sable’s pb). US champion Hillary Bor also looked good, running 8:13.12, the fastest time this year by an American by 6+ seconds.

Quick Take: This race lived up to the hype…could Worlds be even better?

In boxing, they say styles make fights, and the same is true in running. Girma is strong, lithe, graceful. El Bakkali is gangly and owns a mean kick, even if his form is a little awkward at times. It makes for a nice matchup. Heading into this race, steeple fans knew that if Girma was to defeat the Olympic champ, he would have to break him before the final 200, but he couldn’t do it and El Bakkali ultimately outkicked him on the last lap. A similar thing happened in last year’s Olympic final, when the two men went 1-2 in the same order.

Still, it was terrific drama, amplified by the Moroccan fans, who had been waiting all day for this race and created an incredible atmosphere for the entire 3000 meters of racing. Girma may have been at a slight disadvantage as he ran 7:58 on Monday in Ostrava, so watch out for Worlds where he should be better-rested.

The crowd made this one fun

The other thing that could make Worlds even better is the presence of Conseslus Kipruto. Kipruto has the bye as defending champ, so he’s guaranteed a spot on the Kenyan team, but until today he didn’t look anything close to a medal contender. He didn’t finish a race at all in 2020 or 2021 (and was also facing a charge of sex with a minor back home in Kenya) and had only run 8:32 (granted, at altitude in Nairobi) in two races in 2022. So for him to run 8:12 today is a giant step forward. He still may be a year away from challenging from the win but today’s run makes him relevant again and he’s got a very good kick if the pace dawdles.

Quick Take: Sable is doing quite well under Scott Simmons

In January, American Scott Simmons was named the coach of the Indian national team and Avinash Sable is doing quite well under his tutelage. At the start of the year, the 27-year-old Sable was an 8:18 steeple guy. Now he’s an 8:12 guy. And last month, he broke the 35-year-old Indian 5000 record by running 13:25.6. Simmons told us that he’s been coaching most of the Indians remotely, save for a one-month trip to India in March, as they only recently got their US visas but Sable has been in Colorado Springs. Simmons called Sable a “huge talent” via text message after this one was over.

MB: Avinash Sable, INDIA runs monster 8:12.48 steeple in Rabat, behind Bakkali (7:58.28), and Girma (7:59.24).

Men’s 1500: Wightman impresses in 1500 opener

Great Britain’s Jake Wightman opened his 1500 season in impressive fashion by running away from fellow British Olympic finalist Jake Heyward over the final 100 to win in 3:32.62 as Heyward ran 3:33.54, with Morocco’s Abdellatif Sadiki third in 3:33.93.

Great Britain’s Jake WIGHTMAN celebrates after winning the 1500m men final at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Rabat on June 05, 2022.

The start was an utter debacle as a number of athletes did not appear to hear the gun. Frenchmen Jimmy Gressier and Azeddine Habz and Ethiopia’s Samuel Zeleke were most affected, losing multiple seconds waiting for the field to be called back – something that would never happen. Given that, it’s actually impressive that Zeleke – who was the first of the three to get going – still managed to run 3:34.80.

The runners received some good pacing from Spain’s Alberto Guerrero, who hit 800 in 1:53.40 and went almost 1100 meters before stepping off. At that point, Heyward inherited the lead and would hold it until 200 to go, when Wightman made a big move to the front, opening a gap of two meters as the field entered the home straight. It would only grow on the way home as Wightman used a 27.2 final 200 to win handily (55.3 last lap).

Quick Take: A great start for Wightman in 2022

Jake Wightman finished only .05 behind Josh Kerr at last year’s British Olympic trials and entering the Olympics the two had similar medal odds. Wightman may have even had better odds by the final as Kerr needed a time qualifier to get out of the first round while Wightman won his semifinal. Medals are hard to come by, however, and while Kerr got it done, running a pb of 3:29.05 in the final, Wightman had an off day and could only manage 10th.

2022 didn’t start much better for Wightman as he got COVID in February, but, after running a pair of 1:46 800s to start his outdoor campaign, he looked terrific today. There’s a gap between Jakob Ingebrigtsen and everyone else in the men’s 1500 right now, but Wightman – who owns a 3:29.47 – could definitely be in the medal hunt based on this result.

Men’s 800: Teenager Wanyonyi earns first DL win

Reigning world junior champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi, officially just 17, showed he’s got a legitimate chance to become the world senior champ this year as he remained undefeated in 2022 and got his first Diamond League win in his first Diamond League appearance in 1:45.47. 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos was second in 1:45.66, just ahead of France’s Gabriel Tual (1:45.71).

A big storyline heading into this one was how would reigning Olympic champ Emmanuel Korir look after racing sparingly this year? (Korir ran his first 800 of the year just three days earlier, 1:46.29 to finish 6th in Montreuil, France). Korir ran aggressively on the first lap, ahead of both Wanyonyi and Amos, but had little over the final 200 and ended up 8th in 1:46.93. The good news for Korir is he has a bye into Worlds as the DL champ; that’s not true for Olympic silver medallist Ferguson Rotich, who was just 10th in 1:47.60.

Quick Take: The men’s 800 is a mess right now

How did we reach a point where a 17-year-old is a legitimate gold medal threat in the men’s 800? Two main reasons. First, Wanyonyi is a huge talent. Second, none of the other big names are in good form. Reigning world champ Donavan Brazier looked well off the pace in Doha, just like reigning Olympic gold and silver medalists Korir and Rotich today. World Indoor champ Mariano Garcia of Spain was even worse, finishing dead last today in 1:48.48. Nijel Amos didn’t look bad in Rabat, finishing second, but he has an awful record in major championships. Meanwhile Wanyonyi is beating everyone in sight and Worlds are less than six weeks away. So yes, Wanyonyi can absolutely win Worlds if things continue this way.

The DL opener in Doha featured the slowest 800 winning time (1:49.08) in DL history. This one was won in over 1:45. Prior to Doha, the last time a DL 800 was won in over 1:45 was way back at this same meet in 2019. 

Women’s 1500: Meshesha leads an Ethiopian 1-2-3

Ethiopia’s Hirut MESHESHA celebrates after winning the 1500 women final at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Rabat on June 05, 2022.

21-year-old Hirut Meshesha, the world indoor bronze medallist, took over two seconds off her personal best, running 3:57.30 to win the women’s 1500 in wire-to-wire fashion. After a very fast first lap (61.77 for the pacers, with Mesesha not far behind), the pace would slow over the next lap with Meshesha still behind the pacer at 800 (2:07.46). By the time the final pacer stepped off with 500 to go, Meshesha had a five-meter lead but was being chased hard by countrywomen Freweyni Hailu (World Indoor 800 silver) and Axumawit Embaye (World Indoor 1500 silver) as well as Georgia Griffith of Australia.

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Only Hailu would mount a serious challenge, as she closed within a couple meters on Meshesha’s shoulder in the home straight. But Meshesha was still full of run and pulled away over the final 50 to win in 3:57.30 (#3 in the world this year) with a 61.47 last lap.

Hailu wound up second in 3:58.18, while the 27-year-old Embaye broke 4:00 for just the second time in her career, clocking 3:58.80 for third. Griffith’s brave run was rewarded as she took more than three seconds off her pb to run 4:00.16 for fourth and move to #3 on the all-time Aussie list.

Quick Take: Meshesha continues to make impressive progress in the 1500

Meshesha came up as an 800 runner, earning bronze at the 2018 Youth Olympics (one spot behind a young American named Athing Mu) and winning the All-Africa Games as an 18-year-old in 2019. But she switched to the 1500 last year and in her first year finished 5th at the Ethiopian Olympic trials and ran a pb of 3:59.43.

This year she’s kept it going, taking bronze at World Indoors, and after her today – not just the time, but how she looked doing it – Meshesha has to be considered a medal contender at World Outdoors as well.

Quick Take: Griffith’s stellar 2022 campaign continues

Griffith was a big prospect coming up, finishing 4th at World Juniors in the 800 at the age of 17 in 2014. She went on to run 4:04.17 for 1500 in 2018 but that remained her pb until Thursday, when she ran 4:03.95 in Jessheim, Norway – her fourth 1500 win of 2022. Three days later, she blasted past that with today’s 4:00.16.

Women’s 3000: Mercy Cherono wins after Francine Niyonsaba doesn’t start

The return to the Diamond League for Kenya’s Mercy Cherono, the 2013 WC silver medallist and 2016 Olympic 4th placer in the 5000, was a successful one as she earned a hard-fought and narrow victory over Reebok Boston’s Amy-Eloise Markovc, 8:40.29 to 8:40.32 in Cherono’s first DL action since Lausanne on August 25, 2016. 

Kenya’s Mercy CHERONO celebrates after winning the 3000m women final at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Rabat on June 05, 2022.

Markovc, the former Washington runner, took the lead on the backstretch of the last lap, but Cherono edged ahead halfway down the homestretch and barely hung on after a 61.6ish final lap.

Everyone should thank Francine Niyonsaba for not showing up in this one as had 

Niyonsaba showed, she would have easily taken the victory.

Women’s 800: Moraa overcomes Sekgodiso in final straight

This was not a Diamond League points event, so the field was lacking some of the event’s big names. That also created an opportunity for others to step up, and it led to a battle between Kenyan Olympic trials champion and Olympic semifinalist Mary Moraa and promising 20-year-old South African Prudence Sekgodiso, who ran 1:58.41 to win last month’s Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.

Moraa led for the first 600 before Sekgodiso took over entering the final turn. But even though Sekgodiso’s form looked smoother, Moraa was still right on her shoulder with 100 to go and battled her way past Sekgodiso with 40 to go, to which Sekgodiso did not respond. That gave the 22-year-old Moraa the win in 1:58.93.

Quick Take: A small setback on the Prudence Sekgodiso hype train

Sekgodiso had been in incredible form in 2022, winning all eight of her races, including sweeping the 800 and 1500 at the South African champs. After doing that and running 1:58 in Nairobi – all at the age of 20 – she had justifiably earned some hype. But after convincingly beating Moraa in Nairobi, Moraa turned the tables on Sekgodiso today. The good news for Sekgodiso is that she got some more valuable racing experience today and 1:59.23 for second is by no means a bad run.

Sprints

Men’s 400 hurdles: Disaster strikes for Karsten Warholm

One of the highlights of today’s meet was supposed to have been the season debut of 400m hurdle Olympic champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway. That debut lasted less than 10 seconds, however, throwing one of the most exciting events in track & field into uncertainty.

Warholm, running in his preferred lane 7, did not get his usual rocket start and had done nothing to make up the stagger on lane 8 before he hit hurdle 1. That threw off his momentum a little, and a few steps later he pulled up grabbing his right hamstring. Before the race was over, he had an icepack on it.

Warholm got ice on this almost immediately

In the race itself, American Khalifah Rosser ran a meet record of 48.25 to take the win (just .15 off his pb), but the major storyline will be Warholm and his injury.

“I am very disappointed for this injury,” Warholm told meet organizers. “I think it’s a hamstring tear, I will focus on treating it and come back stronger. I also feel sorry for the crowd.”

Update: Warholm now said he thinks it was just a cramp.

"It's probably a cramp in my hamstring."@kwarholm 🇳🇴 explains why he pulled out of the 400m hurdles tonight.#RabatDL pic.twitter.com/e8ZJLXSE5v

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) June 5, 2022

With less than six weeks until Worlds, obviously any missed time at this point is going to have an impact.

Women’s 400: Paulino dominates

World leader Marileidy Paulino, the Olympic silver medallist from the Dominican Republic, was a dominant winner in 50.10 as Sada Williams of Barbados was second in 50.74 with Olympic 4th placer Stephanie Ann McPherson third in 51.37.

Women’s 100: Elaine Thompson-Herah cruises to victory

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah was a dominant winner in the women’s 100 in a meet record time of 10.83 as the Ivory Coast’s Marie Josée Ta Lou was second in 11.04. The Bahamas’ Anthonique Strachan was the only other woman in the field with a seasonal best under 11.00 (10.99) but she wasn’t even in the set position when the gun got off and the race wasn’t restarted.

Final, Wind: +0.3

Men’s 200: Bednarek wins it

After a series of largely forgettable 100’s and one 400, Olympic 200m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek raced at his specialty distance for the first time and ran 20.21. It was a fairly ho-hum performance by Bednarek against a fairly mediocre field, but he took care of business and got the win.

Final, Wind: +2.0

Field Events

Women’s high jump: Mahuchikh makes it two-for-two in 2022

World Indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh won last week’s Diamond League high jump opener in Eugene, becoming the first woman this year to clear 2.00m outdoors. Mahuchikh didn’t go quite as high today (she missed all three attempts at 2.01m) but she didn’t need to as she cleared 1.96m on the first attempt – a height no one else in the field could manage.

Men’s long jump: Tentoglou wins

Greece’s Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou got the win with a 8.27 4th round jumpas decathlete Simon Ehammer of Switzerland, the world leader in the long jump at 8.45, was second at 8.13.  Olympic bronze medallist Myakel Massó was third at 8.08.

Women’s pole vault: Morris stays undefeated in 2022

World Indoor champ Sandi Morris made it eight wins from eight competitions in 2022, and she only needed to make three jumps to do it as 4.65m was enough to earn the win today (Morris would make three more attempts at 4.80 but miss all three). Her switch to new coach Brad Walker has proven to be a wise decision, but her training partner Katie Nageotte has not fared as well this year. Nageotte did earn silver at World Indoors, so it hasn’t been all bad, but after winning the Olympics in 2021, Nageotte’s outdoor season has started poorly: she was 7th in Birmingham on May 21 and no-heighted today.

Men’s discus: Čeh wins again

After breaking the Diamond League record with a 71.27m throw in Birmingham last month, Slovenia’s Kristjan Čeh won again in Rabat, again in convincing fashion over a field that included all of the Tokyo Olympic medallists.  Čeh, who was 5th in Tokyo, took the lead with a 69.42 toss in round three, then went even farther in his final attempt, throwing 69.68 to win by over two meters.

Women’s triple jump: Lafond wins a close one

The women’s triple jump came down to a matter of centimeters as just 26cm separated first from sixth and just 4cm separated first from third. In the end it was Dominica’s Thea Lafond who won that battle of centimeters as her 14.46 in round five was just better than Shanieka Ricketts’ 14.43 and Neja Filipic’s 14.42.

Talk about the action on our world-famous fan forum / messageboard.

• MB: Official 2022 Rabat DL Discussion Thread
• MB: Karsten Warholm pulls up in Rabat — grabs right hamstring after first hurdle
• MB: Katir is the most obvious doper of all time
• MB: Avinash Sable, INDIA runs monster 8:12.48 steeple in Rabat, behind Bakkali (7:58.28), and Girma (7:59.24).