Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad puts Europe back on the Steeplechase track – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad was the French hero of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, after his masterful clearance of the 3,000m Steeplechase barriers saw him finish in second place, just 15-hundredths of a second behind Kenya's Brimin Kipruto.

Mekhissi-Benabbad's performance surprised his competitors and TV commentators alike; however the 23-year-old silver medallist was never in any doubt,

"Since the start of the year I thought I could get a medal. I've been saying to myself, 'you are not going to the Olympics just to get into the final'."

The Reims athlete looked at ease throughout the race, matching the pace of the long-dominant Kenyans to knock nearly seven seconds from his best ever finish time.

He was quoted in the IAAF's new online magazine SPIKES.COM as saying,

"In the end just to miss out on the gold by 15-hundredth of a second was frustrating but it has already only made me hungrier for getting gold at the World Championships in Berlin next year."

Mekhissi-Benabbad demonstrated this hunger at ‘Weltklasse' the ÅF Golden League meeting in Zurich last week, when he set another PB of 8:08.95, finishing behind Kenya's Paul Kipsiele Koech.  The Zurich time ranks Mekhissi-Benabbad as fourth fastest male Steeplechaser in the world this year, and the fastest European – proving he has the skills and now the metal (Olympic silver no less!) to put Europe back on the Steeplechase track.

European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS