The 2021 African U20 3,000m steeplechase champion Amos Serem is optimistic of outshining Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali when they clash at the Brussels Diamond League final on September 13.
Serem came argonisingly close to besting the Moroccan in Silesia last Sunday with both athletes clocking 8:04.29, with Bakkali handed the win based on a photo finish.
Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu finished third in 8:04.34 whereas Olympic bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwott placed fourth in 8:08.21.
Serem emphasised the need to sharpen his finishing kick, particularly the crucial final 100m, to gain an edge over Bakkali in Brussels.
“My next plan is to prepare for the Diamond League final. I will work on the last 100m because, with the elite field of athletes at the competition, you need to be ready,” Serem said post-race.
“My body is good in the sprints. I want to build on that so that I can dash for the win in the final stretch.”
He aimed to challenge the elite field in Silesia as he sought redemption following a poor outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I wanted to challenge the field and it worked. Everything was going well and I felt good. I started to go to the front and wanted to make sure I finish in top position,” he noted.
Serem’s performance in Silesia was an improvement from his disappointing 14th-place finish in Paris, where he clocked 8:19.74.
In Paris, Bakkali (8:06.05), USA’s Kenneth Rooks (8:06.41), and Kibiwott (8:06.47) claimed the podium places.
However, Serem admits facing Bakkali, a dominant force in the steeplechase, remains a daunting task.
“Competing against Bakkali is always tough. When I see him, there’s a bit of fear, but I almost had him this time,” Serem confessed.
Apart from clinching the Paris Olympic crown, Bakkali also cruised to victory at the Tokyo 2020 Games in a time of 8:08.90, leading Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma (8:10.38) and Benjamin Kigen (8:11.45).
The Moroccan also boasts two world titles from Eugene 2022 (8:25.13) and last year in Budapest (8:03.53).
Serem’s accolades include a World U20 Championships title from Nairobi 2021, where he clocked 8:30.72.
He clinched silver at last year’s African Games in Accra, Ghana, in 8:25.77, behind Firewu (8:24.30).
