• The men’s 3,000m steeplechase entry standards for the 2025 Championships is 8:15.00 with the qualification period running from August 25, 2024 to August 24, 2025.
• Bett has already smashed that mark after storming to victory at the Zagreb meet on Sunday with a blistering course record of 8:06.33.
Image: FILE
After sealing his entry for the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, 2018 World U20 steeplechase silver medallist Leonard Bett is sharpening his claws for a strong showing in Tokyo.
The men’s 3,000m steeplechase entry standard for the 2025 Championships is 8:15.00 with the qualification period running from August 25, 2024, to August 24, 2025.
Bett has already smashed that mark after storming to victory at the Zagreb meet on Sunday with a blistering course record of 8:06.33.
He led Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaziri (8:08.11) and Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouf (8:11.56) in the Croatian capital.
The 23-year-old is hoping to intensify his preparations for Tokyo after lowering his personal best.
“After lowering my PB, I would want to prepare for next season. I want to intensify my build-up for the World Championships,” Bett said.
During last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Bett suffered an ACL injury which hindered his performance.
“Last year, I suffered an ACL tear after the World Championships in Budapest,” he said. However, despite the injury, Bett was able to secure a fourth-place finish in the finals clocking 8:12.26.
Two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco (8:03.53), Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma (8:05.44) and Abraham Kibiwot (8:11.98) secured the podium in the Hungarian capital.
“After the injury, I had to follow the rehab instructions to get back on the track,” he added.
He tested his recovery at the Paris Diamond League on July 7, where he placed eighth with a time of 8:12.97. “I competed in the Diamond League in Paris, where I have finished eighth.”
In Paris, Ethiopia’s Abraham Sime (8:02.36) Kenyan’s Amos Serem (8:02.36) and Kibiwot (8:06.70) secured the podium.
Reflecting on his triumph in Zagreb, Bett said the fast-paced race played to his advantage.
“I didn´t expect to win because this was just my second race after my injury. I was thinking this would be a fast race. I was expecting around 8.10 or lower but now I came faster than that, the paces were good and I was okay with them,” Bett said.
Bett’s credentials include the World U20 silver medal where he clocked 8:25.39 trailing Ethiopia’s Takele Nigate (8:25.35) and ahead of Getnet Wale (8:26.16).
He won gold in the 2,000m steeplechase at the 2017 World U18 championships in Nairobi clocking 5:32.52 leading Cleophas Meyan (5:33.07) and Ethiopia’s Alemu Kitessa (5:42.10).
He is also a gold medallist from the 2019 African U20 championships in Abidjan with a time of 8:25.60. In 2019, he placed fourth (24:02) in the U20 category of the World Cross Country Championships in Arhus, Denmark.