Addis Ababa, June 2, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopian athlete Lemecha Girma has stormed the men’s 3000m steeplechase with a world-leading 8:01.63 at the Bauhas Galan – a Wanda Diamond League meeting – in Stockholm on Sunday (2).
Lemecha, who has already set PBs of 3:53.82 in the mile and 12:58.96 over 5000m this season, was contesting his first steeplechase race of 2024 and was keen to send a clear message to arch rival Soufiane El Bakkali, the world and Olympic champion.
In fact, he may have started off a bit too keen, as the early pace (2:36.44 for 1000m) was well inside world record schedule. The tempo eased, though, as the race went on with Lemecha’s fellow Ethiopians Samuel Firewu and Getnet Wale following him through 2000m in 5:18.27.
Lemecha Girma started to tire slightly on the final lap, but he’d already done enough to build up a comfortable leading margin over Firewu.
The world record-holder went on to win by more than four seconds in a world-leading 8:01.63 – almost eight seconds faster than El Bakkali’s winning mark in Marrakech last month.
Firewu followed in a PB of 8:05.78 and Tunisia’s Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui set a national record of 8:10.41 in third.