Tokyo World Championships : Daru Finishes Seventh in the 3000m Steeplechase Final
16/09/2025 07:53Nicolas-Marie Daru, France’s sole representative in the 3000m steeplechase final, fought hard to stay in touch with the leading pack on Monday at the World Championships in Tokyo. He finished seventh, delivering a strong performance in the tricolor jersey, while New Zealander Geordie Beamish challenged the reigning world champion, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali.
In the heats, things did not go as planned for the three French athletes competing in the 3000m steeplechase. In the first heat, Nicolas-Marie Daru secured his qualification by finishing fourth, while the other two French representatives, Louis Gilavert and Djilali Bedrani, were eliminated in the heats on Saturday, September 13. One finished seventh in the second heat with a time of 8:28.90, the other eighth in the third heat in 8:35.50.
| Daru, Seventh in the 3000m Steeplechase Final
After brilliantly qualifying for the World Championships final on Saturday, September 13, by finishing fourth in the first heat, Échirolles’ Nicolas-Marie Daru gave everything he had to secure a respectable finish. Ninth at the penultimate barrier, the Frenchman gained two places on the final straight. His late surge was not enough to reach the podium in a fiercely contested race where no one dominated. He completed the seven and a half laps in 8:35.77, not far from the 8:33.88 posted by the race winner, Geordie Beamish.
“The race, as expected, was slow to settle. With 1000 meters to go, things started to move. I tried to stay very attentive to avoid being caught off guard. I had planned to accelerate 600 meters from the finish, after the water jump, to play my card. The American got ahead of me and that changed the dynamics, but I tried to hang on. It’s frustrating because in the end, there were only 2 seconds separating us, and that’s what I’m missing to compete with the top athletes. But at least I see the path I need to follow to be with them. I’m very proud of this seventh place today, even if I would have liked to be up front and perhaps fight for a podium or even the win. My eyes are already on next year’s European Championships in Birmingham, aiming to do better than my sixth place last year,” said the 36-year-old former soldier.
“I had planned to accelerate 600 meters from the finish, after the water jump, to play my trump card. The American got ahead of me, which changed the dynamics, but I tried to hang on. It’s frustrating because in the end there were only 2 seconds separating us, and that’s what I’m missing to compete with the top athletes.”
Nicolas-Marie Daru
| Geordie Beamish, Resilience in Action
New Zealander Geordie Beamish surprised Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali to claim the world title after a legendary final 100 meters (8:33.88). Disappointed, the double 3000m steeplechase world champion and world number one, who had run 8:00.70 on May 25 at the Mohammed VI International Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, slowed down a little too early and couldn’t find the rhythm needed to surge and cross the finish line first (8:33.95). “I wouldn’t say there were dark moments last year, but there were really tough times. Nothing in this sport is given. I was at my peak a few months before Paris, then I went through a very hard period. But a year later, here we are,” said Geordie Beamish.
Ranked 44th in the world before the Championships, with a season-best of 8:13.86 set on June 15 at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, Beamish earned New Zealand’s first gold medal and made a second memorable impression after the heats, where he fell, got back up, and finished second in his heat, keeping his place in the final. He is no stranger to success, having been the 1500m World Indoor Champion in Glasgow in 2024 and finishing fifth at the Budapest World Championships two years ago. Kenyan Edmund Serem completed the podium in 8:34.56 after a fierce battle with Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu, who collapsed on the track at the finish, exhausted (8:34.68). This middle-distance final was again decided in a historic sprint, with the title determined by less than a tenth of a second and the bronze by just over a tenth. Despite the disappointment, the Moroccan savored his silver medal a few minutes later by diving into the iconic 3000m steeple water pit alongside the Tokyo champion.
Indeed, these World Championships have been full of surprises. From Noah Lyles’ simple bronze medal in the 100m, to Grant Holloway’s early exit in the 110m hurdles semifinals, the top champions have been dethroned. Soufiane El Bakkali paid the price, devastated at having let a third world title slip away.
Sabine LOEB
Journalist
