Skip to content
Brussels

Brussels

omega icon
alt
French steeplechaser Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad is looking for revenge in his favourite event after being disqualified at the European Championships in Zürich last week. The French athlete lost his title because he took off his shirt when entering the finishing straight.
Brussels

Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad tempting for a European record in 3000m steeplechase

Mekhissi now has set a new goal : in Brussels he aims to break the European 3000m steeplechase record and become the first European to break the 8 minutes mark. Only ten athletes in track history have ever run the 3000m steeplechase below 8 minutes. 8 of them were Kenyans, the others are the Moroccon Boulami and Saif Saeed Shaheen from Qatar, a former Kenyan who was known as Stephen Cherono.

Both Boulami and Shaheen broke 3000m steeplechase at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, in 2001 and in 2004 respectively. Boulami ran 7:55.28 and Shaheen 7:53.63 which is still the actual World Record on the distance after almost 10 years.