South African sprinter Akani Simbine has maintained his unbeaten streak in the 2025 Athletics season with a win in the men’s 100-metre race at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on Sunday, Afrosport reports.
Simbine, who is the fastest man in the world this season, clocked a time of 9.95 seconds, beating Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who finished second in 10.05s, while American Fred Kerley settled for third place in 10.07s.
SIMBINE MAKES IT THREE!
Akani Simbine
follows up his 100m wins at the first two #DiamondLeague meetings of the year by powering past Ferdinand Omanyala
He clocks 9.95 in Rabat
#RabatDL
@lukehowardtri pic.twitter.com/Jb8SzK8PJZ
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 25, 2025
Olympic gold medallist Letsile Tebogo, meanwhile, finished in last place and has withdrawn from the 200m event at the Rabat Diamond League, with the Motswana revealing that he is suffering from a unnamed recurring injury.
In the men’s 800m event, Tebogo’s compatriot, Tshepiso Masalela, emerged victorious with a world-leading time of 1:42.70.
Masalela, 26, topped Great Britain’s Max Burgin, who ran a time of 1:43.34 to finish second, while Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya finished third in 1:43.37.
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali ran a world-leading time of 8:00.70 to win the men’s 3000m steeplechase in front of his home fans.
El Bakkali outran Germany’s Frederik Ruppert, who set a new national record with a time of 8:01.49, while Kenya’s Edmund Serem finished third in 8:07.47.
HOME CROWD HAPPY!
That is exactly what the Moroccan fans wanted to see – home favourite Soufiane El Bakkali winning the 3000m steeplechase.
He held firm under some pressure from Germany’s Frederik Ruppert to cross the line in 8:00.70.
Ruppert smashed the German record by… pic.twitter.com/SeDdRHhrli
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 25, 2025
South African Zakithi Nene settled for second place in the men’s 400m event, clocking a time of 44.46s. He was leapfrogged by American Jacory Patterson, who ran 44.37s to win the race, while Olympic champion Quincy Hall finished third in 44.90s.
Liberian sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh (20.12s) also claimed a second-place finish in the men’s 200m, finishing behind Courtney Lindsey (20.04s) and ahead of Kerley (20.16s).
Meanwhile, in the women’s events, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet set a new African record to win the women’s 3000m in a time of 8:11.56, breaking the previous mark set by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia by over five seconds.
Chebet, who also set a national record and ran the second fastest time ever, finished ahead of Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who clocked a national record of 8:26.27, and Sarah Healy, who ran a personal best 8:27.02 to finish third.
SECOND FASTEST TIME EVER!
@bchebet954 makes history with an astonishing 8:11.56 clocking for 3000m.
She raced clear with an opening 1000m time of 2:44, powered around the lap and simply never looked back.
Incredibly, only the world record time of 8:06.11 from 1993 is… pic.twitter.com/fIFoqs2OFX
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 25, 2025
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma won the women’s 800m race ahead of South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso, the world indoor champion.
Duguma ran a time of 1:57.42 to finish ahead of Sekgodiso, who ran a season’s best 1:57.52, while American Addison Wiley settled for third in 1:57.55.
Kenya’s Nelly Jepchirchir clocked a season’s best 3:58.04 to win the women’s 1500m race. She claimed her second straight victory in the Diamond League, finishing ahead of Worknesh Mesele (3:58.44) and fellow countrywoman Dorcus Ewoi, who ran a personal best of 3:59.25 to finish third.
With four venues down in the 2025 Diamond League season, the athletes will return to the circuit for the next event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy, on 6 June.
