Conseslus Kipruto Wins Olympic Steeple, Evan Jager Takes Silver- Day 6 Morning Recap

Aug 17, 2016

Conseslus Kipruto Wins Olympic Steeple, Evan Jager Takes Silver

It's the ninth straight Olympic steeple win for Kenya and the first American medal since 1984.

Kipruto hammered the pace early, going through 1000m in 2:41 (8:03 pace), with Jager right behind him and the rest of the field a meter back. But Kipruto slowed down a little bit after the 1K, and 3:36 into the race, Jager took over the lead and kept hammering. He towed the field through 2K in a slightly slower 5:25 (2:44 for that kilometer), but that was fast enough to drop the rest of the field.

With one lap to go, Jager, Kipruto, and Kemboi were well clear of the field, and the only question looked like the rest of the medals. (Though Jager knows after falling on the last barrier in Paris last summer that nothing is a lock at any point in a steeple.) For the last twelve years, if Ezekiel Kemboi was within striking distance on the last lap, he almost always trounced the field with an easy gold. Kemboi won the steeplechase at the 2012 Olympics and the 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 world championships. But not this morning.

Kpruto and Kemboi passed Jager on the first hurdle of the last lap, and Kipruto dropped Kemboi and Jager shortly after. Jager stayed tucked in behind Kemboi while Kipruto telescoped away, opening up a gap much larger than his eventual 1.00 second margin of victory.

Kipruto--in a performance worthy of grabbing Kemboi's flamboyant throne--started celebrating right off the water jump. And Jager started kicking furiously. Kemboi was out of juice, Jager went around, and the steeplechase American record holder is now the best U.S. Olympian in the event since Horace Ashenfelter won gold in 1952.

Kemboi announced after the race that he's retiring. He's only the sixth-fastest steeplechaser ever, but indisputably the greatest steeplechaser of all time.

Results:
1. 8:03.28 Conseslus Kipruto (KEN) Olympic record
2. 8:04.28 Evan Jager (USA)
3. 8:08.47 Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN)
4. 8:11.52 Mahiedine Mekhissi (FRA)
8. 8:22.74 Hillary Bor (USA)
9. 8:25.81 Donn Cabral (USA)

Jager and Cabral were sixth and eighth at the last Olympics. The silver medal continues an unbelievably hot Olympics for American distance running. In events 800m and longer, the U.S. won two medals at the 2012 Olympics, four at the 2013 world championship, and one at the 2015 world championship. This is the fourth American distance medal of the Olympics, with the men's marathon, 1500m, and 5K and women's 800m and 5K still remaining.

It's the second straight global championship with a major medal for Jerry Schumacher's Bowerman Track Club after Emily Infeld took bronze in the 10K at worlds last summer.

Watch our deep dive on how Jager went from eighth at NCAAs as a freshman to one of the best steeplechasers in the world.

Women's 800 Qualifiers: Ajee Wilson, Kate Grace, All Favorites Move On

Among the Americans, Ajee Wilson qualified automatically, Kate Grace advanced on time, and Chrishuna Williams did not move on. Here are the rest of your qualifiers for tomorrow night's women's 800m semifinals:

Automatic qualifiers
1:58.38 Melissa Bishop (CAN)
1:58.44 Marina Arzamasova (BLR)
1:59.00 Selina Buchel (SUI)
1:59.31 Caster Semenya (RSA)
1:59.44 Ajee Wilson (USA)
1:59.66 Margaret Wambui (KEN)
1:59.83 Eunice Sum (KEN)
1:59.84 Francine Niyonsaba (BDI)
1:59.91 Nataliia Lupu (UKR)
2:00.04 Lovisa Lindh (SWE)
2:00.42 Angelika Cichocka (POL)
2:00.45 Yesneysi Santiusti (ITA)
2:00.83 Lynsey Sharp (GBR)
2:00.99 Amela Terzic (SRB)
2:01.58 Joanna Jozwik (POL)
2:01.65 Winny Chebet (KEN)

Time qualifiers
1:58.99 Habitam Alemu (ETH)
1:59.12 Noelie Yarigo (BEN)
1:59.67 Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (GBR)
1:59.78 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA)
1:59.80 Nataliia Pryshchepa (UKR
1:59.93 Chunyu Wang (CHN)
1:59.96 Kate Grace (USA)
2:00.00 Renee Eykens (BEL)

All of the major favorites--Caster Semenya, Margaret Wambui, Francine Niyonsaba, Melissa Bishop, and Marina Arzamasova--advanced automatically. The semis are tomorrow night and the final is Saturday night.

Men's 5K Qualifiers: Lagat, Chelimo Advance

In the first semifinal, Mo Farah and Bernard Lagat were among the automatic qualifiers. With 200 meters to go, Farah got tangled up with American Hassan Mead, and Mead went down. Mead's 13:34 is currently on the outside of the time qualifiers, but athletes who have fallen in other distance prelims have been getting advanced. We'll update this post if and when a protest is filed.

In the second, the first ten men advanced, eliminating all potential time qualifiers from the first heat. American Paul Chelimo won the heat in a new PB of 13:19. Among the time qualifiers were now-Peruvian David Torrence and Canadian Mo Ahmed. Zero Kenyan athletes qualified for the final; at least one Kenyan had made the 5K final in every Olympics since 1984. Americans Chelimo and Lagat were born in Kenya.

Heat 1 automatic qualifiers:
13:24.65 Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH)
13:24.95 Albert Rop (BRN)
13:25.25 Mo Farah (GBR)
13:25.60 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)
13:26.02 Bernard Lagat (USA)

Heat 2 automatic qualifiers:
13:19.54 Paul Chelimo (USA)
13:19.65 Muktar Edris (ETH)
13:19.67 Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH)
13:19.83 Birhanu Balew (BRN)
13:20.08 Andrew Butchart (GBR)

Time qualifiers:
13:21.00 Mo Ahmed (CAN)
13:22.00 Elroy Gelant (RSA)
13:22.81 Brett Robinson (AUS)
13:23.20 David Torrence (PER)
13:24.66 Phillip Kipyeko (UGA)

Abbey D'Agostino Tears ACL, Won't Race 5,000m Final

After her impactful display of sportsmanship following a collision in the 5,000m semifinal, Abbey D'Agostino will be unable to compete in the Olympic final due to a season-ending knee injury.

An MRI revealed that D'Agostino has a complete tear in her right ACL, a meniscus tear, and a strained MCL, USATF announced on Wednesday. She will not compete in Friday's 5,000m final.

D'Agostino was positioned in the middle of the crowded chase pack when New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin got tripped up. Hamblin's trip caused D'Agostino to fall on top of her. D'Agostino immediately helped Hamblin get up off the ground, but quickly fell to the ground, clearly struck with a sudden pain. Hamblin remained with D'Agostino and helped her up in return.

Despite the shock and pain of the collision on the Olympic stage, both athletes still managed to finish the race.

"There was about 2K to go, I was still feeling controlled, and was mentally prepared to focus and maintain contact with the lead group for the final grind," D'Agostino said in a statement.

"Then in a split second, there was a woman on the ground in front of me, I tripped on her, someone behind me tripped on me, and I was on the ground. Although my actions were instinctual at that moment, the only way I can and have rationalized it is that God prepared my heart to respond that way. This whole time here he's made clear to me that my experience in Rio was going to be about more than my race performance -- and as soon as Nikki got up I knew that was it."