Staff Reporter
Doha: Double Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali will return to the Doha Diamond League when he competes in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, June 19.
The Moroccan star, a crowd favourite in Doha, successfully defended his Olympic title at Paris 2024 Olympic Games after first winning gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He is also a two-time world champion, having claimed titles in 2022 and 2023.
El Bakkali narrowly missed out on a third consecutive world title at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where he finished second behind New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish.
The 30-year-old produced a personal best of 7:33.87 over 3000m during his last appearance in Doha in 2023. The performance marked the beginning of an outstanding season in which he later clocked a career-best 7:56.68 in the steeplechase in Rabat before remaining unbeaten in five steeplechase finals between May and September.
“Doha feels like my second home and it means a lot to compete at this meeting where I always receive incredible support,” said El Bakkali, the 2022 Wanda Diamond League champion.
“I faced some challenges last year and although I won silver at the World Championships, I was disappointed. The encouragement I have received since then has given me motivation to move forward,” he added.
The Moroccan athlete said his long-term ambition remains winning another Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, while also targeting a world record in the 3000m steeplechase.
“My dream right now is to break the world record in the steeplechase. Doha may come a little early for that, but racing in front of so many Moroccan supporters will be very special,” he said.
The Doha meeting was originally scheduled to open the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season on May 8 at Qatar Sports Club. However, due to the conflict in the Middle East, the event was rescheduled to June 19 and moved to Khalifa International Stadium, which features advanced temperature-regulated cooling technology designed to ensure safe competition conditions during the summer.
The Doha meeting will now serve as the seventh stop of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season, which includes 15 elite track and field meetings across four continents.
The series begins in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16 and concludes with the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4 and 5.
