Rabat DL Recap: Ingebrigtsen Tops Nuguse, El Bakkali Goes 7:56, Kerley Rules the 100

The 2023 Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athlétisme de Rabat – aka the Rabat Diamond League track and field /athletics meeting – was held on Sunday in Morocco and was highlighted in the distances by big wins from Olympic champs Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Soufiane El Bakkali. Ingebrigtsen ran 3:32.59 to claim the 1500, repelling the challenge of American Yared Nuguse over the final 100 as Nuguse clocked a pb of 3:33.02 for 2nd. El Bakkali thrilled the home fans by front-running a 7:56.68 in the steeple – the fastest time in the world in 11 years – to move to #8 on the all-time list.

Fred Kerley won the much-hyped 100 in 9.94 (despite Olympic champ Marcell Jacobs pulling out of the race earlier this week), while Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell ran down Grant Holloway to take the 110 hurdles in 13.08 despite a stiff headwind. Kenyans swept the 800’s thanks to Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:44.36) and Mary Moraa (1:58.72) as Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay ripped a 3:54.03 in the 1500 to lead three Ethiopians under 3:58.
In all, there were four world-leading performances: El Bakkali, Tsegay, Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women’s high jump (2.01m), and Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez in the women’s triple jump (14.84m).

Our full recap and analysis with interviews from Rabat appears below. We start with the mid-d and distance events.

Men’s 1500: Ingebrigtsen is still the king

Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins in Rabat. Photo via Guillaume Laurent / ATHLE.ch

American Yared Nuguse was an impressive 2nd in his Diamond League debut, but Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen showed why he has been so difficult to beat on the circuit, accelerating away from the field over the final 100 meters to win his fifth straight Diamond League 1500/mile in 3:32.59. Nuguse ran a pb of 3:33.02 for 2nd, just ahead of his On Athletics Club teammate Ollie Hoare, who was 3rd in 3:33.39.

The Race

The early pace was fairly quick (55.56 for the pacer at 400), with Ingebrigtsen the second racer behind Kenya’s Charles Simotwo and Hoare to his outside. Ingebrigtsen had the lead by 600, but the pacer Julian Ranc of France did not do a good job and slowed it way down with a 59.57 second lap.

As usual, it was up to Ingebrigtsen to keep the pace going once the rabbit dropped, and while he did pick it up (57.13 from 800 to 1200), the slow second lap ensured that a number of men were still in contact with 200 meters to go. Hoare in second was the closest with Nuguse another meter or so back in third.

But if anyone was doubting whether Ingebrigtsen was vulnerable, he put those concerns to bed with a sensational final 200 meters, shifting gears impressively off the final turn and opening up a gap of four meters on Hoare halfway down the home straight. By that point, Nuguse was charging too, passing Hoare with 50 to go into second, and though he clawed back a meter on Ingebrigtsen by the finish, it was not enough. Ingebrigtsen closed in 26.16 for his final 200 – nearly identical to Nuguse’s last 200 at Millrose – and though Nuguse was similarly quick at the end today, he spotted Ingebrigtsen too much ground to win. Hoare held on for 3rd in 3:39.39.

Race Video For US Fans

Results

Quick Take: We may have underestimated Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s kick…

Because Ingebrigtsen likes to push the pace from a long way out, he is not known for running crazy splits at the end of races – you don’t need a monster kick over the last 200 if you’ve already dropped everyone. Going into this one, the thinking was that if Nuguse was close to Ingebrigtsen with 200 to go, he would have a shot to win given the incredible closing speed he demonstrated at Millrose by running 25.94 for his last 200.

And while Nuguse closed very well today – 26.12 – Ingebrigtsen matched it, splitting 26.16 despite looking over his shoulder twice and easing up slightly at the line. That split is impressive enough on its own, but it was the way he did it, with a big acceleration coming off the final turn, that should have his opponents worried. Being able to shift gears that quickly isn’t a skill he has shown much in the past and will make him even tougher to beat this season.

LetsRun had some “boots on the ground” in Rabat to do post-race interviews for us and Ingebrigsen was upbeat after the win. He said in your first race you never know where you truly are and said that he was looking over his shoulder in the last 50 as he was “surprised that they were so far behind.” He said one of his big goals for the year is to set some PBs and he feels he’s on track. “I’m on a good way to run a pb,”said Ingebrigtsen who added the wind was kind of strong on the final turn today.

Ingebrigtsen will get a great shot at running a pb as he is headlining a loaded race in Oslo on June 15.

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Quick Take: This was still a great race by Yared Nuguse, and he learned a valuable lesson in his first DL

It was hard not to be impressed by Nuguse tonight. In his first Diamond League race, he ran a pb and was beaten only by the Olympic champion. It is rare for an American man to be this close to the win in a Diamond League 1500.

Nuguse and Hoare in Rabat. Photo via Guillaume Laurent / ATHLE.ch

And if you told us going into this one that Nuguse would be 3-4 meters back of Jakob with 200 to go and have the fastest final 200 (26.12) and 400 (54.19) in the race, we would have given Nuguse a great chance at the win. He closed really well, but it turns out Ingebrigtsen can do that as well, which means Nuguse will need to adjust if he is to have a shot at beating him this year.

What tonight showed is that if Nuguse – or anyone – is to beat Ingebrigtsen this year, there is very little margin for error. If Ingebrigtsen is able to close these races in 26.16, you cannot allow gaps to form late in the race. It’s difficult to close much faster than that in a 1500, and when you’re running that fast, even small gaps can become insurmountable. If Nuguse is going to beat Ingebrigtsen in Oslo on June 15, he needs to be right on Ingebrigtsen’s shoulder with 200 to go and hope he can kick just a little bit better.

Of course, that’s no easy task. First, you need to be strong enough to hold onto the pace Ingebrigtsen sets (it’s definitely going to be faster than tonight). Second, you may need to battle a few other guys to get that position – because anyone who wants to beat Ingebrigtsen is going to be trying to occupy the same space.

Nuguse told us that it was “really exciting ” to race in the DL and he thought it went “really well.” 

“Jakob is an amazing runner. I wasn’t expecting that I’d just roll over him in the first race – that would be ridiculous,” said Nuguse, who added that he let too much of a gap open up at the start of the final 200.

We caught up with Nuguse after he did some 1k repeats at tempo pace and some 200s to flush the race out of his system.

Men’s Steeple: El Bakkali delights home fans with the fastest time since 2012

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Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali earned Olympic and world titles on the strength of his kick, but tonight he showed he can run from the front as well, going out well under 8:00 pace and holding on to run a personal best of 7:56.68 – the fastest time in 11 years and good for #8 on the all-time world list.

El Bakkali hit 1k in 2:38.6 (7:55 pace), and at 2k (5:20.5) still had company in the form of Worlds 4th placer Getnet Wale of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot. But El Bakkali showed his class over the final kilometer, opening up a massive gap to the delight of the home fans. El Bakkali left some time on the track on the last lap – he dragged his leg on the final water jump and began fist pumping well before crossing the finish line – but still managed a big win and a big pb.

Behind him, there was a three-way battle for 2nd between Wale, Kibiwot, and American Hillary Bor, who was right behind those two at the final water jump until Bor fell in the water pit. Wale and Kibiwot both ran 8:05, and it’s not unreasonable to think Bor would have been in line for a similar time without the fall (Evan Jager is the only American to have run faster than 8:08). Bor got up and finished 4th in 8:11 – a strong run and US leader – but could be in line for even bigger things if he gets in a fast race this summer.

Quick Take: The men’s steeple should be great this year and we wouldn’t be surprised if the world record goes

El Bakkali just ran 7:56 on his own, and his chief rival Lamecha Girma ran 7:23 in the flat 3k this year to set the world indoor record before winning the Doha DL 3k in 7:26 (El Bakkali ran 7:33 in that race). Both men are in fantastic shape, and if they get to race each other in a Diamond League in good conditions, it wouldn’t shock us to see one of them break Saif Saaeed Shaheen’s world record of 7:53.63, which has stood since 2004.

“I can’t describe my happiness for achieving the meeting record, personal best, and world lead,” El Bakkali said after the race. “My aim was to break the world record but I got tired in the last lap.”

Women’s 1500: Gudaf Tsegay destroys the field

Gudaf Tsegay showed why she is one of the best long-distance runners on the planet.

The pace lights were on world record pace and while this wasn’t a world record attempt, Tsegay wasn’t far behind the lights early on. Birke Haylom of Ethiopia, the U20 world champ last year who only sported a 4:01 personal best coming in, was hanging close and at 800 (2:03.6/ 61.3-65.3) they were ahead of the rabbit and the field.

At the bell (2:50.4), Tsegay had 15 meters on Haylom and was just racing the clock. The final lap was actually Tsegay’s slowest (63.59) but she still destroyed the field and got the win in a world-leading 3:54.03, just off her outdoor pb of 3:54.01. Haylom paid the price on the final lap for being bold early and was passed by Freweyni Hailu, the 4th placer at Worlds and the Olympics the last two years, just before the line (3:57.65 to 3:57.66), but Haylom was rewarded with a huge PB. Hailu ended up second despite being more than four seconds back of the lead at 800 (2:03.6 to 2:07.7).

Ethiopia’s Worknesh Mesele, who ran 1:58 in 2021, was fourth in her first-ever 1500 on the circuit in 4:01.81 with American Cory McGee best of the race in 4:03.09.

Quick take: Tsegay is really, really good

It’s worth noting that after the race Tsegay, the 1500 silver medallist last year and 5000m gold medallist, left all options on the table for Worlds. “I am already in great shape, I am injury-free. So far, all is perfect. About the next, I do not know what race I will do at the World Championships. 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m… I am ready for every distance. My coach will decide.”

The problem for Tsegay in the 1500 is Faith Kipyegon runs it and Sifan Hassan may try to as well this year.

Men’s 800: Wanyonyi holds off Kinyamal again

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Two weeks ago in Nairobi, 18-year-old star Emmanuel Wanyonyi waged a terrific home straight duel with Kenyan countryman Wyclife Kinyamal to win in 1:43.32 to Kinyamal’s 1:43.66, the two fastest times in the world this year. Today the two men again went 1-2 and again Wanyonyi prevailed, only this time he did it by holding off Kinyamal after coming from behind in Nairobi.

Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse, perhaps getting caught up in the atmosphere racing at home, got out hard and had a four-meter lead at the bell (50.9). Wanyonyi was second and that proved to be key as he was able to get the jump on Kinyamal, passing El Guesse early in the final turn. Kinyamal was able to get around by the end of the turn, but wound up bumping El Guesse, who was tying up mightily. The contact didn’t have much of an effect on Kinyamal but he could not close the gap to Wanyonyi in the final 100 and had to settle for 2nd.

Quick Take: Wanyonyi vs Kinyamal could be a great rivalry this year

Wanyonyi and Kinyamal have raced twice in 2023 and produced two excellent finishes. More of this the rest of the year, please.

Quick Take: World/Olympic champ Emmanuel Korir looked awful in his opener

Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir, who has won every big race the last two years, was making his 2023 debut today and looked well off the pace – he was only 7th at 400 and wound up 8th at the finish after running 1:48.42, his slowest time ever in an 800m final.

Slow starts are nothing new for Korir – he was 8th in this meet last year and wound up as the world champ – and he has the luxury of knowing he only needs to peak for August since he has the bye as defending world champ. But this was a poor way to start his 2023 campaign.

Women’s 800: Mary Moraa is too good

The rabbit went out in a very honest 56.45 and World Champs bronze medallist Mary Moraa and the 2nd fastest woman in the world Catriona Bisset of Australia went with her.

At 600 (1:28.26) they had a gap of seven meters on Natoya Goule in third. Goule closed the gap on the turn, but on the homestretch it was all Moraa, as she pulled away for the win in 1:58.72, as Bisset held on for 2nd and Sage Hurta-Klecker of the US moved up for 3rd.

QT: This “Big 2” in this event should be considered the “Big 3”

If anyone is breaking up Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson at Worlds, it is going to be Mary Moraa.

Sage Hurta talks to LRC after the race

Sprints

Men’s 100: Kerley Takes Down A Stacked Field

Before the race, much was made of how Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs was not in the field but even with his departure, this field was loaded as it included the world champ Fred Kerley, the world leader Ferdinand Omanyala, two-time world junior champ Letsile Tebogo, two-time world 100 medallist Trayvon Bromell and others.

When it was over, Fred Kerley was still your world champs favorite as after he twitched a little in the block and didn’t get the best start, he pulled away late to run win in 9.94 as surprisingly only one other person broke 10.00 – South Africa’s Akani Simbine (9.99). Omanyala, who said before the race he would not lose again all year, only ran 10.05.

Men’s 110 hurdles: Broadbell runs down Holloway

When Grant Holloway races the 110 hurdles, you know he is going to be leading at halfway. The question is always whether he can hold on over the last few hurdles. Today, the answer was no as 22-year-old Rasheed Broadbell took him down late to win in 13.08 – a quick time considering the 1.3 m/s headwind.

After being called out of their blocks twice due to excessive crowd noise and long holds by the starter, Holloway got out to his traditional rocket start and had a gap on the field by halfway. But his lead began shrinking after hurdle six, and though Holloway still led off the final hurdle, Broadbell was moving much faster and was able to create a little separation by the finish as Holloway ran 13.12 for 2nd.

Afterwards, Holloway did gripe about the crowd saying, “I am not happy about my performance today. My goal was first place. The crowd was very loud and they got me distracted. I’ll work harder now to get ready for the upcoming competitions, especially the World Championship where my goal is to achieve the gold medal.”

Yes, the crowd wasn’t great at the start but that had no impact on Holloway fading late in the race – something he consistently does.

Women’s 200: Shericka Jackson wins it

World champion Sherick Jackson dipped under 22 seconds to show the defense of her world title is on track.

Men’s 400: Gardiner wins again

Steven Gardiner, the 2019 World and 2021 Olympic champ, finished the men’s 400 race today so of course he won it. Gardiner has now won 25 straight 400 races that he’s finished. Yes, there are three DNFs thrown in the middle but the last 400 race he lost where he finished was the 2017 Worlds final.

Gardiner won today in 44.70 but the man running the fastest over the last 100 was the US’s Vernon Norwood who was second in 45.11. British record holder Matthew Hudson-Smith pulled up injured in the first 100.

Women’s 400 hurdles: Little takes it

Former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad took this one out quickly but faded big-time over the final 200 meters as the race turned into a home-straight duel between American Shamier Little and Jamaica’s Rushelle Clayton. Little had the lead entering the final 100 and was just able to hold off Clayton, 53.95 to 54.15. Muhammad, 33, could only manage 55.72 for 5th – her second-slowest time since 2015.

Field Events

Women’s shot put: Dongmo takes it

With the top Americans competing in LA yesterday, Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo, the World Indoor champion, took advantage and got the win with a best throw of 19.28 meters ahead of Worlds bronze medalist Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands. Dongmo was the only woman in the field to throw beyond 19 meters, and she did it twice, in rounds two and three.

Men’s Discus: World champ Kristjan Ceh wins

Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia was the deserved winner as he had three throws that would have won.

Women’s Triple Jump: Perez Hernandez soars to world lead

Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez, who was 4th at Worlds last year, added four centimeters to the world lead she set last weekend by leaping a personal best of 14.84m in round 2.

Women’s High Jump: Ukraine goes 1-2

World Indoor champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine continued her unbeaten start to 2023 by clearing a world-leading 2.01m on her first attempt. Fellow Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko was 2nd with a best clearance of 1.91m.

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

• MB: Official 2023 Rabat DL Discussion Thread 
• MB: Nuguse goes home devastated
• MB: Nuguse post race interview
• MB: Jakob on Yared before the showdown “Some people come and go, there’s always new faces. Yared is a, is a good runner….”
• MB: Ingebrigtsen vs Nuguse in 1500 at Rabat Diamond League on Sunday!
• MB: Long article in Norwegian Newspaper on Jakob, Nuguse and Romo (even a Gault reference)