 The 3000m steeplechase gold medal was awarded to fellow French athlete Yoann Kowal, who had finished second in that race.In early April 2015, Mekhissi-Benabbad underwent an operation on his right foot, which had been causing him pain, in a hospital in Qatar.As he needed several months to recover from his operation, he was forced to miss the 2015 summer athletics season, including the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.