Soufiane El Bakkali
30 Under 30 – 2021

Soufiane El Bakkali

Age: 24

Occupation: Long distance runner

Nationality: Moroccan

Residence: Morocco

Category: Sport

El Bakkali won the gold medal for Morocco in the men’s 3,000m Steeplechase at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was the first non-Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in that event since Poland’s Bronisław Malinowski won the title in Moscow in 1980. El Bakkali also won the silver medal at the World Championships 2017 and the bronze medal at the World Championships 2019. He won the 3,000m Steeplechase at the Diamond League 2019 event in Paris despite an injury that caused his right foot to bleed during the race.