Diamond League: Godana wins in 8:02.74 as Serem takes sixth

Gemechu Godana defeated Soufiane El Bakkali in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia, winning in 8:02.74. Kenya’s Edmund Serem finished sixth after crossing the line in 8:09.57.

Godana’s time was a meeting record and also a personal best. El Bakkali, the Moroccan Olympic and world champion, took second in 8:04.61, while compatriot Salah Eddine Ben Yazide completed the podium in a personal-best 8:05.08.

Ruben Querinjean placed fourth for Luxembourg in 8:05.36, setting a national record. The closely contested race produced four times under 8:06, while Serem was unable to match the leading group during the fast finish.

The result ended El Bakkali’s perfect start to the 2026 Diamond League season. He had opened with a world-leading 7:57.25 victory in Rabat on May 31, then won in Stockholm on June 7 in 8:10.40 and added another success in Doha on June 19 with 8:09.28.

Serem had arrived in Silesia with strong results behind him. He won the 3,000m steeplechase at the XXIII Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 8:18.23, after finishing second in Stockholm in 8:12.27 and third in both Paris and Monaco.

His other listed results included a second-place finish at the Kenyan Commonwealth Trials in Nairobi in 8:20.37, which secured his place at the Games. He also ran 8:01.61 for his fastest season time in Rabat and finished fourth at Nairobi’s Kip Keino Classic in 8:25.85.