Conseslus Kipruto maintained the Kenyan stranglehold on the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase on Wednesday, winning in an Olympic record of 8:03.28. After leading much of the race and falling to third on the last lap, American Evan Jager moved into second over the final hurdle to win the silver medal in 8:04.28, also under the previous Olympic record. Defending champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya was third in 8:08.47, but was later disqualified for a violation that involved stepping inside the curb, so Mahiedine Mekhissi of France is the bronze medalist.
Jager is the first American man to win an Olympic medal in the event since Brian Diemer took bronze in 1984. On Monday, Emma Coburn became the first American woman to win an Olympic steeple medal, a bronze.
“I’m extremely happy,” Jager said. “It was indescribable. It was a lot of years of hard work and daydreaming and dreaming about the moment all coming true. I didn’t know I had a medal wrapped up until 100 meters to go. As soon as I got over the last barrier, I could fully enjoy it and that was very fun.”
Kenyan men have won every Olympic steeplechase title since 1984, and 19 of 27 medals awarded since then.
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At last year’s world championships, U.S. record holder Jager led with one lap to go, but finished sixth. He said afterward he needed to do something differently to not again fall prey to the superior finishing kicks of his Kenyan rivals.
On Wednesday, that meant taking the lead with four laps to go in the 7.5-lap race and continuing the strong early pace set by Kipruto, the fastest man in the world this year. By the two-kilometer mark, Jager and the other two eventual medalists had almost 3 seconds over the rest of the field.
“I wanted to be ready for anything,” Jager said. “One of the things [my coaches] and I talked about, if it did go out fast and you felt it slow up at any point, don’t be afraid to take the lead and keep it honest. We knew that ... I was stronger than just about everyone in the field.”
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But Kemboi, 34, was unable to produce his trademark last-lap acceleration. Kipruto’s lead increased down the backstretch and into the final water jump. By the time he entered the final straightaway, he was so comfortably ahead he began waving to the crowd. He would have broken the previous record of 8:05.51 by even more if he hadn’t eased up so much that he almost walked across the finish line.
“This year, 2016, I was waiting for Rio,” said Kipruto, who was the world championships silver medalist in 2013 and 2015. “My goal was to be Olympic champion. Today, I was so prepared. I was very prepared. I knew Kemboi was going to retire. I knew he was coming here to try again. I am happy; I was not expecting this today.”
While Kipruto was celebrating, Jager was charging. He overtook Kemboi as they cleared the final hurdle with 50 meters to go, and Kemboi gave no response.
After the race, Kemboi, announced his retirement. His résumé includes the 2004 and 2012 Olympic gold medals and four world titles. He’s also a great dancer.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back, Kemboi wrote on his Facebook page that he has ended his brief retirement “to reclaim my medal from France” at the world championships next summer in London.
France appealed the final results of the race, saying that Kemboi had cut the curve after the water jump sometime in the middle of the race, Evan Jager celebrates his silver. The International Association of Athletics Federations has The International Association of Athletics Federations has Races - Places.
When asked if breaking up the Kenyans to earn a silver felt almost like gold, Jager was frank.
“No, it feels like silver,” he said. “But I’m totally okay with silver. I think breaking up the Kenyans in the steeplechase and beating the Kenyans in a championship steeplechase, it’s a very hard task. Since I started steeplechasing, it’s been one of the goals of mine to be in the mix with Kenyans and beat some of them on the day, at the championship races. And beating Kemboi, who has been so dominant over his entire career, and who I believe is the greatest steeplechaser of all time, it’s a huge accomplishment for me and it makes me very proud.”
Kemboi said it was last year at the Paris Diamond League meet that he first realized Jager was a serious threat. In that race, Jager set a breakneck pace and would have won had he not fallen over the final barrier. (He got up and finished second to Jairus Birech in an American record time of 8:00.45.)
After that peformance, “I told some guys in Kenya, ‘We must work extra hard to beat this guy,’” Kemboi said.
He continued: “One day, one time, Evan Jager from the United States will be world champion or the Olympic champion.”
This article has been updated to reflect new race results information.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Super Shoe Trends, Advanced Marathoning, and Nutrition - Weight Loss. Nutrition - Weight Loss Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Races - Places, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
