Athletics World Championships: Hawke’s Bay runner Geordie Beamish dazzles in steeplechase

Geordie Beamish contemplates his result in the men's 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Photo / Getty Images

A scintillating final lap earned Hawke’s Bay runner Geordie Beamish a brilliant fifth-place finish in the men’s steeplechase at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary - a best-ever finish by a Kiwi man in a track event in the 40-year history of the championships.

The 26-year-old US-based athlete, who only made his senior steeplechase debut this year and was competing in just his eighth 3000-metre steeplechase, showed his outstanding pedigree by crossing the line fifth in eight minutes 13.46 seconds - just 0.20s outside his national record set in Monaco last month.

To further underline the historic nature of his run, it was the best-ever steeplechase finish by a Kiwi at a global event (world championships and Olympics), surpassing the sixth-place finish Euan Robertson achieved at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Competing in his second world championships, Beamish, who hails from Havelock North, impressed in his first-round heat and, given his impressive closing speed, he would not have been disappointed by the relatively sedate early pace as the leader, Leonard Bett of Kenya, went through the first kilometre in 2m 50.41s.

With the Kiwi happy to sit two-thirds of the way down the field, he became slightly detached from the leaders through the 2km mark as world record-holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia stretched the field with a gradual injection of pace.

Showing great maturity, Beamish refused to panic and gradually started picking off athletes in front of him.

Eighth at the bell, he then launched his trademark kick and, in a late burst of speed, overhauled three athletes on the last lap to claim the highly-accomplished fifth-place finish.

His performance surpassed the previous best result by a New Zealand man in a track race at a world championships, by Nick Willis, who finished sixth in the 1500m final at the 2015 edition in Beijing.

Out front, the gold went to Morocco’s Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, who secured a successful defence of his world title in 8m 03.53s. Girma won a third successive world steeplechase silver in 8m 05.44s, with Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot (8m 11.98s) rounding out the podium in bronze.