PIX: El Bakkali, Hall, Kennedy snatch tense gold wins

Images from the athletics action at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris, on Wednesday.

Soufiane El Bakkali retained his Olympic men's 3,000 metres steeplechase title to deliver Morocco's first medal of the Games on Wednesday after Ethiopian World record holder Lamecha Girma suffered a late fall.

El Bakkali clocked a time of eight minutes 6.05 seconds as American Kenneth Rooks took silver in 8:06.41 and Kenya's Abraham Kibiwot claimed bronze.

The Moroccan held his arms out wide as he crossed the finish to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Finland's Volmari Iso-Hollo in 1932 and 1936, adding to a trophy case that includes two world titles.

El Bakkali waited in the middle of the pack for much of the race before making his move with about 300 metres to go, chasing down Girma who was flying through the field.

The pair looked set for an epic duel when the race took a jarring turn when Girma hit the barrier and landed hard on the track where he remained motionless.

El Bakkali chased down Rooks over the final turn before the American produced a personal best to claim the surprise silver.

Medical staff ran on to tend to Girma as he lay on the track after the race concluded and he was carried off on a stretcher.

Fast-finishing Hall grinds out 400m gold for US

Quincy Hall produced an incredible late surge to overhaul Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith and take a first Olympic 400 metres gold for the United States since 2008 in another scintillating and dramatic race on Wednesday.

Long-striding Hudson-Smith seemed on course to win his country’s first gold over the distance since Chariots of Fire Eric Liddell in the Paris Games 100 years ago, but Hall swept past to win in a personal best 43.40 seconds and give the US their first triumph since LaShawn Merritt in Beijing.

Hudson-Smith bettered his own European record with 43.44 for silver and Zambia's 21-year-old Muzala Samukonga set his second successive national record in Paris with 43.74 to take bronze.

Hall, who took bronze behind Jamaica’s Antonio Watson and Hudson-Smith at last year’s World Championship, looked out of contention coming into the final straight, a distant fourth as Hudson-Smith seemed on course for a first global gold of an injury-plagued career.

The American was still well adrift heading into the last 30 metres but somehow found the energy to drive past everyone and become the fourth-fastest man over the distance, behind world record holder Wayde van Niekerk (43.03), Michael Johnson (43.18) and Butch Reynolds (43.29). Hudson-Smith is now fifth.

Fourth-placed Jereem Richards set a Trinidad and Tobago national record of 43.78 and former Olympic champion Kirani James in fifth was also under 44 seconds in 43.87.

Hudson-Smith, 29, has World silver and bronze and now Olympic silver to his name after a long and often troubled career.

Kennedy soars to women's Pole Vault gold

Australia's Nina Kennedy soared to the gold medal in the women's Pole Vault, a year after she shared top spot on the World Championship medal podium with American rival Katie Moon.

The 27-year-old Kennedy cleared a season's best 4.90 metres, fiercely pumping her fist several times after another epic battle with Moon.

"I've been very open to the media, I wasn't going to share this year," Kennedy told reporters. "I didn't want to share it this time, I wanted to win outright and I'm happy I got the job done."

Moon, the Tokyo gold medallist and two-times World champion, cleared 4.85m to claim silver.

Canada's Alysha Newman went over the same height but was awarded bronze due to more missed jumps.

Kennedy and Moon decided to share gold at last year's World Championships in Budapest after they both vaulted 4.90m. Moon defended the decision after scathing criticism on social media, saying the danger of vaulting increases as fatigue sets in.

"To walk away healthy and with a gold medal while celebrating with my friend that had jumped just as well was a no-brainer," Moon said in Budapest. "Part of the reason we've reached the highest level is by listening to our bodies."

Kennedy made sure there was no sharing on Wednesday at Stade de France. She failed on only vaults -- her first attempt at 4.70 -- before flying over the next three heights with ease.

After Kennedy's successful attempt at 4.90, Moon's only chance to steal victory was by clearing 4.95 but she and Kennedy failed at that height.

"I had a sneaking suspicion victory was in the bag after 4.90," Kennedy said.

Her victory was some redemption for the Tokyo Olympics in which a serious quadriceps injury contributed to her elimination in the preliminary round.

Jamaica's Stona upsets Alekna to win men's Discus gold

Jamaica's Roje Stona won gold in the Olympic discus throw, upsetting World record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania to claim his country's first-ever medal in the event at the Games.

Alekna, who had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps to become Olympic champion, had to settle for silver and Australian Matthew Denny claimed the bronze.

Alekna was favourite having thrown 74.35 metres in April to break the World record that had stood since 1986.

Warming up with a first throw of 68.55, he then hurled the discus 69.97 to break the Olympic record his father Virgilijus Alekna had set 20 years ago.

That mark did not last long, though, as Stona responded with a throw of 70.00 metres, which Alekna failed to beat in his next two attempts.

"I knew I had nothing to lose so I just went for it," Stona told reporters.

For Jamaica, best known for its sprinters, it was the second throwing medal of the Paris Olympics after Rajindra Campbell won bronze in the shot put.

Jamaica has had other field event success, with silver medals in the women's triple jump and men's long jump.

"The track gets a lot of attention but the field events have been on the rise and we should get more support," Stona said.

Denny's bronze, meanwhile, put an end to run of frustrating fourth places - at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's World Championships.

Sweden's Daniel Stahl, the defending Olympic champion and World champion, finished seventh with 66.95.

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024