Jager and Coburn Both Looking to Break Barriers in Steeplechase

By Adam Kopet

The Monaco Diamond League meeting Friday will feature men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechases this year and Americans are looking to break barriers in both races.

Evan Jager has been looking to break eight minutes since at least 2015. That year in Paris, Jager had been on sub-eight-minute pace until the final barrier, where he tripped and fell. He got up and finished in 8:00.45.

After spending the past few weeks training at altitude in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Jager will come down to sea level to compete in Monaco with an eye on breaking that eight-minute barrier, as expressed to DyeStat at the Prefontaine Classic after his third-place finish May 26 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Joining him in the race will be several other athletes looking for a fast time, including Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya, Mahiedine Mekhissa Benabbad of France, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and Benjamin Kigen of Kenya. Kipruto and Mekhissa Benabbad have run 8:00.12 and 8:00.09 in their careers, respectively.

Monaco is known for fast times, especially in the middle-distances and steeplechase. Should the early pace go fast enough, there is a good chance Jager will be able to be the first American to break eight minutes.

Also looking for a barrier breaking performance is Emma Coburn in the women's 3,000 steeplechase. She entered the Oslo Diamond League meeting with a plan to break nine minutes, but a barrier set at the men's height helped to dash those hopes.

In her first race since the June 23 final at the USATF Outdoor Championships, Coburn will once again try to add her name to the history books. If she were to go under nine minutes in Monaco, Coburn would be only the fifth woman to ever accomplish that feat.

The chance the pace will be fast enough for a sub-nine-minute clocking is high as two of the women who have broken nine minutes, Celliphine Chepteek Chespol and Beatrice Chepkoech, both from Kenya, are in the race. Also competing is Hyvin Kiyeng of Kenya, who has run 9:00.01 in her career.

However, it is not just the Kenyans who could make for a fast pace in Monaco. Coburn, who ran 9:02.58 last year to win the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships, will also face Courtney Frerichs, who ran 9:03.77 to take second at last year's World Championships.

The Monaco Diamond League meeting is scheduled for Thursday and Friday. A complete provisional entry list for the meet is available from the Diamond League.