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Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs Shock the World with 1-2 Steeple Finish - Day 8Published by
Brittney Reese soars back to the top of the long jump worldBy Scott Bush, DyeStat Editor It takes a special race, generally with theatrics, fast times and surprise finishes, for a race to be remembred as an all-time great race. The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships will go down as one of the truly great races in U.S. distance running history. From the gun, Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs positioned themselves in the top six, sitting behind a lead group of Kenyan and Bahrainian athletes. As the pace began to quicken, water jump misses and falls started to impact the field, and with three laps left the lead group shrunk down to five. The lead group would remain the same, until the final lap, as Coburn and Frerichs started to move up, passing a couple runners and fighting for medal spots. Over the final water jump, Coburn took the lead, while Frerichs moved into second. The Americans continued to charge down the homestretch, with Coburn building her lead, while Frerichs pushed hard to hold off Kenya's Hyvin Jepkemoi. As the two crossed the finish, arms raised with pure joy and astonishment on their faces, it was realized they had just finished 1-2, making history. Watch the Reactions: Emma Coburn Post-Race | Courtney Frerichs Post-Race Their finishes of 9:02.58 and 9:03.77 rank them sixth and seventh all-time in the event, while Coburn's winning mark lowered her American record of 9:07.63 and Frerichs set a PR of nearly 16 seconds. Wow! Reese, Bartoletta Shine in Long JumpAfter a thrilling battle between fellow Americans Brittney Reese and Tianna Bartoletta in Rio last summer, which resulted in Bartoletta winning gold and Reese capturing silver, the two took to the long jump runway again Friday, this time in London and this time with a world title on the line. Through two rounds, Darya Klishina led, while Reese sat in third and Bartoletta in fourth. That was until Reese jumped 23-0.50m (7.02m), shooting up to lead the field. Reese would be slightly challenged by Klishina again, on her fifth jump, as the Russian athlete lept 22-11.75 (7.00m) to keep her second position, while Bartoletta had her best jump on the day on her final attempt with a bronze medal leap of 22-10.50 (6.97m). Catch Brittney Reese's Gold Medal Post-Event Interview For Reese, her gold medal performance earned her the fourth gold in World Championship competition, adding to her collection from 2009, 2011 and 2013, joining shot put star Valerie Adams of New Zealand as the only female athlete in history to win an individual event four times at the World Championships. As Reese's legacy grows, the Mississippi native continues to prove time and time again that she shines brightest in the international spotlight. Advance, Advance, Advance...
American MedalistsHere is the most updated list of American medalists at the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships: Total - 19 | Gold - 6 | Silver - 6 | Bronze - 7 Gold - Tori Bowie (women's 100-meter dash) Silver - Christian Coleman (men's 100-meter dash) Bronze - Tianna Bartoletta (women's long jump) More news |