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'Surreal': Beamish beams after world champs triumph
Patrick Marsters-Fonotoe • September 18th, 2025 3:43 pm
Geordie Beamish | Photo: Photosport
On Tuesday, Geordie Beamish made history as New Zealand’s first track world athletics champion winning the 3000m steeplechase at the World Championships in Tokyo.
It was only after the fact that he was made aware of the special slice of history he'd claimed.
“I had no idea, but now it’s really special to kind of set the bar there and hopefully lead to more in the future,” Beamish told Sport Nation Mornings.
Beamish executed his trademark strategy in the final stages of the race, staying patient before unleashing a decisive sprint in the last 200 meters to snatch gold.
“That’s the strategy I go for… just tried to stay patient for as long as possible and not get too far back.”
He edged out two-time consecutive Olympic and World champion, Soufiane El Bakkali, by just seven-hundredths of a second. This being El Bakkali’s first loss in the race since the World Championships in 2019.
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Beamish cites his fifth-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2023 World Championships as a stepping stone toward his eventual gold medal
“That championship in Budapest was the moment I realised medals were realistic and where I got the bug for it from,” he said.
Hastings-born Beamish described the past few days as “pretty surreal,” enjoying the moment alongside family and friends.
“It’s really special to share it with lots of family and friends over here. It’s been a good couple of days.”
He credited the race’s slower pace and Tokyo’s heat for timing his final kick perfectly, while admitting the steeplechase’s technical side is still a work in progress.
Beamish said the slower pace let him “chill on the back and leave it pretty late,” but the steeplechase was tricky after not doing a water jump since June: “That last water jump was pretty rough. You just try to stay smooth and stand on your feet.”
While he does point out the toughness of the race, Beamish also points out its fun side.
“It’s just a bit of extra dynamics on the track and it can be quite fun to be in and to watch as well.”
With the World Championships complete, Beamish now looks forward to some down time in Japan with family before heading back to New Zealand for a reset.
Listen to the full interview:
