World Championships: Faith Kipyegon claims third 1500m gold, Soufiane El Bakkali defends steeplechase world title

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon defended her 1500m title at the World Championships in Budapest, while Soufiane El Bakkali also claimed successive golds in the 3000m steeple chase.

There was no doubting Kipyegon, who claimed her third world title after winning in Eugene last year and in London in 2017.

Kipyegon – who is also a back-to-back Olympic champion following success in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro – broke a third world record in 2023 when she posted a time of 3:54.87.

Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia took silver, 0.82 seconds adrift of the Kenyan, while Sifan Hassan felt a sense of redemption with a bronze medal after falling and missing out on a podium finish in the 10,000m. Team GB’s Laura Muir finished in sixth.

Moroccan El Bakkali battled with Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma for the 3000m steeplechase but did enough to take successive world golds when he crossed the line in 8:03.56.

The pair were close when coming around the bend on the final lap, but El Bakkali showed his robustness to pull clear, showcasing why he’s the Olympic and World champion.

Girma came in second, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot showed lots of character to jump to his feet after falling at a barrier to beat compatriot Leonard Kipkemoi Bett and finish third for a well-deserved bronze.

El Bakkali hasn’t lost a steeplechase race since September 2021.

Off the track and over to the field, American Laulauga Tausaga was down in sixth at the halfway point in the women’s discus final after throwing a personal best effort of 65.56m.

But she had more in the tank, and the 25-year-old threw a monstrous 69.49m which eventually earned her gold.

Compatriot Valarie Allman would have felt hard done by to miss out on gold and finish second with 68.61m, while China’s Feng Bin took the bronze with a throw of 68.20m.

Italian Gianmarco Tamberi, who shared his gold medal with Mutaz Essa Barshim at the Tokyo Olympics, was in a league of his own this time around to snatch high jump gold.

Tamberi and American JuVaughn Harrison were locked in a battle for gold after Qatar’s Essa Barshim failed at the height of 2.36m.

They both cleared 2.36m but failed to go any higher, but as Tamberi cleared it at the first attempt, he took gold.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith clocked 44.26 to break the European 400m record that has stood for 35 years, as he eased his way into Thursday’s final.

After day four, the USA remain in the lead of the medal table, having racked up 12 in all – six golds, four silvers and a couple of bronze medals.

Spain are in second with two medals, both gold, while Ethiopia are sandwiched in between the Spaniards and Great Britain and Northern Ireland with six medals – one gold, three silver, two bronze.

GB & NI have three medals and are in joint fourth place with Italy and Kenya, all with a gold, silver and bronze medal each.