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Kiwi Beamish snatches historic world champs gold in stunning finish
AP • September 16th, 2025 7:14 am
George Beamish | Photo: AAP
New Zealand's Geordie Beamish has claimed a stunning world gold in the 3,000 metres steeplechase with a sprint finish denying Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali a fifth successive global title.
It was New Zealand's first gold medal of this world championships, and first ever on the track. The nation's six previous golds were all in field events, five in the shot put and one in the discus.
It completed a remarkable week for Beamish after he fell with only a lap to go in his heat, getting stamped on the head in the process, but recovered to qualify.
"This was a turn-up, wasn't it? That was pretty unreal," the 28-year-old Kiwi said.
"I just gave myself a shot in the last 200 metres. I knew I had it in me tonight. I only knew I'd win one metre before the finish and that was enough.
Geordie Beamish looks across to confirm he has beaten Soufiane El Bakkali to the finish line | Photo: AP
"I've been enjoying the last hour or so. I love the stadium. It's my dream. So, I'm just trying to soak it in and enjoy it as much as I can."
"It's a first track gold for New Zealand at a world championships, which is pretty cool."
El Bakkali, twice Olympic and world champion, looked on course for a hat-trick in the latter when he hit the front at the bell and after surging clear seemed to think he had it in the bag.
Beamish, however, is famed for his late kick, and pushed on to snatch it on the line in 8 minutes 33.88 seconds, beating the champion by seven hundredths of a second.
Seventeen-year-old Kenyan Edmund Serum, who has been working with marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge, took a brilliant bronze in 8:34.56.
Few had Beamish down for a medal, let alone gold, as he arrived in Tokyo as the 31st-fastest man in the event this year, but a funereal early pace played into his hands.
Gold medallist Geordie Beamish is flanked by Edmund Serem (bronze) and Soufiane El Bakkali (silver) | Photo: AP
It also seemed to work for Bakkali as he sat patiently at the back in the early laps, gradually working his way through and then hit the front at the bell.
There was deafening noise in the stadium as local hope Ryuji Miura was in the lead pack of half a dozen, though he could not quite hold it in the final lap.
It seemed to be a victory parade for Bakkali but he lost momentum after lightly touching the last barrier and Beamish, who showed his speed when winning the world indoor 1,500m title last year, seized his opportunity.
Bakkali, 29, has almost forgotten what it is like to lose and said: "It's very difficult for me to accept this result but I have to because this is high performance sport."
As further evidence of the surprise nature of the result, he did not even know Beamish's name, but was magnanimous in defeat.
"I congratulated the athlete from New Zealand," he said. "I had good tactics but I clipped the last barrier and lost balance. It was not the result I wanted, but sport wins tonight."
