Tetouan - The Wissam awarded by His Majesty the King after winning the gold medal in the men's 3,000 m steeplechase at the Summer Olympics (Paris 2024) is "a source of pride and motivation to properly represent Morocco in major international sporting events", Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali said on Wednesday in Tetouan. In a statement to the press on the occasion of the audience granted to him by the Sovereign, on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Tetouan, El Bakkali expressed his deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for His constant support and encouragement, which helped boost his morale, persevere and achieve more positive results for Morocco. The Olympic champion also expressed his pride and immense joy at this Royal audience and his decoration by HM the King with the Al Arch Wissam of the Commander's Order, following his feat at the last Olympics, when he retained his title for the second consecutive time after the Tokyo 2020 edition. Source : Agence Marocaine De Presse