IAAF World Championships in Athletics Moscow 2013 - Results Photos UpdatesAug 7, 2013 by Mitch Kastoff
Three big threats in the steeplechase may leave Evan Jager empty-handed
Three big threats in the steeplechase may leave Evan Jager empty-handed
It’s always enjoyable to talk to my non-track friends about running. Whenever they send me a message about something in athletics, it’s either because someone was caught doping or it’s because they wanted to rehash the best GIF in track and field history.
With any funny picture on the internet, there comes a story. My friends know Ezekiel Kemboi for his smooth, smooth dance moves. They know that he likes to finish way out in lane eight. They're also aware that the Kenyans are pretty good at “that event where they jump over the barriers into water.” Or as we know it, the steeplechase.
Even in track and field, there are dynasties. The Kenyan men have won an Olympic gold medal in every 3000m steeplechase in which they have participated from 1968 to 2012 (they boycotted the 1976 and 1980 Olympics).
Since its inauguration in 1983, the Kenyans have had similar dominance at the World Championships. After missing out on the podium in ’83 and ’87, Kenya came back with a vengeance and has won every WC gold since then. Hell hath no fury like a Kenyan steeplechaser scorned.
That’s why we love the drama in the steeple. The world record (7:53.63) and the ’03 and ’05 World Championship titles could have belonged to Kenya, but instead went to Qatar.
Saif Shaheen, formerly known as Stephen Cherono, changed his citizenship from Kenya to Qatar in ’03 after being offered “an attractive financial package, including the guarantee of a $1,000 stipend for the rest of his life.”
Shaheen’s nationality switcheroo also brought about one of the greatest tactical races in the history of the event. Again, scorned Kenyans.
So it’s easy to predict that once again, a Kenyan will take home the gold in the steeple. The first question is which one of the four will it be? The second is who else will be on the podium?
Let’s take a look at the world list:
via Track and Field News
Thankfully (for the rest of the world, that is), Athletics Kenya can only send four/five steeplechasers to Moscow (they have one defending world champion and one Diamond League winner). It’s funny how some athletes we talk to at Diamond League events say that the World Championships are easier than DL meetings because of the limit of Kenyans. So of the eight above, the four that will be in Moscow are Kemboi, Kipruto, Koech, and Mutai.
It’s crazy to think that the ’11 WC silver medalist and sixth-fastest man in the world, Brimin Kipruto, didn’t make the team. You have to wonder if money is the only motivator to why some athletes switch citizenship.
The Gold Medal Goes To...
We don’t see Kemboi losing. The reigning World and Olympic champion has shown that he can win any sort of race. When the pace has been slow, Kemboi has been able to throw some a blazing final last lap and even has time to do a bit of showboating and dancing, too.
In Daegu, his last lap was roughly 61.58. When he won in London, we had him at ~56.87.
Kemboi is also exceptional when the pace is fast. His personal best if 7:55.76 from ’11 and he’s the current world leader after his 7:59.03 win in Paris.
The Threats
The two big challengers who could deny Kemboi’s title defense are not-so-coincidentally the next two on the world list.
The London Olympic silver medalist, the ’11 WC bronze medalist, and now the French 3kST record holder Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad is no stranger to the defending champion. This season, the pair have raced twice and each taken a win (Kemboi was DQ’d at Prefontaine).
In the last few years, we’ve felt like Mekhissi-Benabbad has always been one step behind Kemboi. The Frenchman placed just behind Kemboi in Daegu, a few DL meets, and the London Olympics. But here’s an interesting statistic: Mekhissi-Benabbad actually has more head-to-head wins.
Do we think that Kemboi will even out the score in Moscow? Yes. But Mekhissi-Benabbad has improved on his top-end speed (he PR’d in the 1500m this season after running 3:33.12 in Tomblaine) and has been close to Kemboi many times before.
In any case, the two could make the best buddy cop pair since Lethal Weapon.
Last year at the Olympics.
You should note that even though they look happy, they both have violent pasts.
The other big threat may be the future of the men’s steeplechase. Kenya’s 18-year-old Conseslus Kipruto has had records on his mind all season, but now turns towards medals.
After opening his season with a personal best and DL win in Shanghai (8:01.16), Kipruto has remained undefeated. When Flotrack broadcasted the Ostrava Golden Spikes Meeting, we were told that Kipruto was going for two records: Paul Koech’s meet record of 8:02.55 and Saif Shaheen’s world junior record of 7:58.66.
If the race went according to plan, then an attempt on the world record could be thrown into the mix. The only thing was that after the second lap, one of the rabbits went down on the water pit. Small hiccup.
@1:59
Although he’s gotten slower since he season debut back in May, a lot of those later races weren’t conducive to running blazing fast times like in Shanghai. He did win the Kenyan trials (at altitude), so he’s in championship form.
When Ryan Fenton came back from the Prefontaine Classic, he had a lot of praise for Kipruto. The teenager beat Kemboi out in Eugene (he was DQ’d) and then again at the Kenyan National Championships (Kemboi finished back in sixth, but gets the auto-bid).
Could Kipruto’s dominance and Kemboi’s slip in form mean that we’ll have a new champion in Moscow? Possibly, but we still don’t want to bet against Kemboi’s last lap speed.
Will Evan Jager Medal?
With the three potential gold medalists in the race, it doesn’t make much sense that the podium will have any room for the American record holder.
But oddly enough, things look good for Jager. Even though he’s only raced once since USAs (he took second in the 3k in Luzern in 7:43.36), Jager knows what he has to do to grab a historic medal.
"We didn't do anything that would've prepared me to do that on the international level," Jager told Runner’s World. "So that's something that we're going to do -- get me nice and tired and try to close in 56, 57 seconds over barriers." Jager reiterated this point after his race at the Prefontaine Classic.
Even after a “sloppy” last lap, Jager still closed in roughly 63-seconds to run 8:08.60. That’s the good news. The bad news is that everyone who finished in front of him will be in Moscow.
Will a big last lap be enough? He gained some valuable experience from last year (after all, it was his first year running the event), but he’ll still need some help.
We don’t see either Kemboi or Mekhissi-Benabbad not on the medal stand. Kipruto is young, but he did win at the Kenyan Trials this year and the Kenyan Junior Championships the year before. Like almost any other championship final, we don’t think the pace will be too hot, so tactics will play an important role (as always).
The other two big names that we haven’t even talked about is Paul Koech (fourth in the world) and Abel Mutai (ninth). Koech may have had an awful race at the Kenyan Trials where he finished back in 12th, but he gets an automatic bid for winning the Diamond League last year. He looked good at Prefontaine (second in 8:05.86), but a little underwhelming in Paris (third in 8:09.17). Mutai finished two spots behind Jager at Prefontaine, so we’ll check him off the list of potential worries.
Prediction
It’s going to be an interesting race, to say the least. We may love to watch Mo Farah run 52.x for the last lap of a 5k, but watching 56.x in the steeplechase is something else.
If Jager can pull out 57-second last lap, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t get bronze. The again, my gut says that he’ll improve on his sixth place finish from the Olympics and end up in that dreaded fourth spot.
Kemboi will defend, Mekhissi-Benabbad will take silver (again), Kipruto will settle for his first loss of the season, and Jager will have to wait.
With any funny picture on the internet, there comes a story. My friends know Ezekiel Kemboi for his smooth, smooth dance moves. They know that he likes to finish way out in lane eight. They're also aware that the Kenyans are pretty good at “that event where they jump over the barriers into water.” Or as we know it, the steeplechase.
Even in track and field, there are dynasties. The Kenyan men have won an Olympic gold medal in every 3000m steeplechase in which they have participated from 1968 to 2012 (they boycotted the 1976 and 1980 Olympics).
Since its inauguration in 1983, the Kenyans have had similar dominance at the World Championships. After missing out on the podium in ’83 and ’87, Kenya came back with a vengeance and has won every WC gold since then. Hell hath no fury like a Kenyan steeplechaser scorned.
That’s why we love the drama in the steeple. The world record (7:53.63) and the ’03 and ’05 World Championship titles could have belonged to Kenya, but instead went to Qatar.
Saif Shaheen, formerly known as Stephen Cherono, changed his citizenship from Kenya to Qatar in ’03 after being offered “an attractive financial package, including the guarantee of a $1,000 stipend for the rest of his life.”
Shaheen’s nationality switcheroo also brought about one of the greatest tactical races in the history of the event. Again, scorned Kenyans.
So it’s easy to predict that once again, a Kenyan will take home the gold in the steeple. The first question is which one of the four will it be? The second is who else will be on the podium?
Let’s take a look at the world list:
via Track and Field News
| STEEPLE | ||||
| 7:59.03 | Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) | Paris DL | 07/06 | |
| 8:00.09 | Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (France) | Paris DL | 11/30 | |
| 8:01.16 | Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya) | Shanghai DL | 05/18 | |
| 8:02.63 | Paul K. Koech (Kenya) | Shanghai DL | 05/18 | |
| 8:03.57 | Hillary Yego (Kenya) | Shanghai DL | 05/18 | |
| 8:06.86 | Brimin Kipruto (Kenya) | London DL | 07/27 | |
| 8:06.96 | Gilbert Kirui (Kenya) | London DL | 07/27 | |
| 8:08.60 | *Evan Jager (US) | Eugene DL | 06/01 | |
| 8:08.83 | Abel Mutai (Kenya) | Shanghai DL | 05/18 | |
| 8:10.27 | Jairus Birech (Kenya) | Shanghai DL | 05/18 | |
Thankfully (for the rest of the world, that is), Athletics Kenya can only send four/five steeplechasers to Moscow (they have one defending world champion and one Diamond League winner). It’s funny how some athletes we talk to at Diamond League events say that the World Championships are easier than DL meetings because of the limit of Kenyans. So of the eight above, the four that will be in Moscow are Kemboi, Kipruto, Koech, and Mutai.
It’s crazy to think that the ’11 WC silver medalist and sixth-fastest man in the world, Brimin Kipruto, didn’t make the team. You have to wonder if money is the only motivator to why some athletes switch citizenship.
The Gold Medal Goes To...
We don’t see Kemboi losing. The reigning World and Olympic champion has shown that he can win any sort of race. When the pace has been slow, Kemboi has been able to throw some a blazing final last lap and even has time to do a bit of showboating and dancing, too.
In Daegu, his last lap was roughly 61.58. When he won in London, we had him at ~56.87.
Kemboi is also exceptional when the pace is fast. His personal best if 7:55.76 from ’11 and he’s the current world leader after his 7:59.03 win in Paris.
The Threats
The two big challengers who could deny Kemboi’s title defense are not-so-coincidentally the next two on the world list.
The London Olympic silver medalist, the ’11 WC bronze medalist, and now the French 3kST record holder Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad is no stranger to the defending champion. This season, the pair have raced twice and each taken a win (Kemboi was DQ’d at Prefontaine).
In the last few years, we’ve felt like Mekhissi-Benabbad has always been one step behind Kemboi. The Frenchman placed just behind Kemboi in Daegu, a few DL meets, and the London Olympics. But here’s an interesting statistic: Mekhissi-Benabbad actually has more head-to-head wins.
|
|
Ezekiel Kemboi (Place) |
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad |
|
'08 Olympics |
8:16.38 (7th) |
8:10.49 (2nd) |
|
'08 Zurich |
8:19.36 (6th) |
8:08.95 (2nd) |
|
'09 Paris |
8:15.27 (2nd) |
8:13.23 (1st) |
|
'10 Rabat |
8:17.29 (3rd) |
8:08.82 (1st) |
|
'10 Zurich |
8:01.74 (1st) |
8:10.50 (8th) |
|
'11 Paris |
8:07.14 (2nd) |
8:02.09 (1st) |
|
'11 Daegu |
8:14.85 (1st) |
8:16.09 (3rd) |
|
'12 Rome |
8:10.55 (4th) |
8:10.96 (5th) |
|
'12 Olympics |
8:18.56 (1st) |
8:19.08 (2nd) |
|
'13 Eugene |
DQ |
8:06.60 (3rd) |
|
'13 Paris |
7:59.03 (1st) |
8:00.09 (2nd) |
|
Wins |
5 |
6 |
Do we think that Kemboi will even out the score in Moscow? Yes. But Mekhissi-Benabbad has improved on his top-end speed (he PR’d in the 1500m this season after running 3:33.12 in Tomblaine) and has been close to Kemboi many times before.
In any case, the two could make the best buddy cop pair since Lethal Weapon.
Last year at the Olympics.
You should note that even though they look happy, they both have violent pasts.
The other big threat may be the future of the men’s steeplechase. Kenya’s 18-year-old Conseslus Kipruto has had records on his mind all season, but now turns towards medals.
After opening his season with a personal best and DL win in Shanghai (8:01.16), Kipruto has remained undefeated. When Flotrack broadcasted the Ostrava Golden Spikes Meeting, we were told that Kipruto was going for two records: Paul Koech’s meet record of 8:02.55 and Saif Shaheen’s world junior record of 7:58.66.
If the race went according to plan, then an attempt on the world record could be thrown into the mix. The only thing was that after the second lap, one of the rabbits went down on the water pit. Small hiccup.
@1:59
Although he’s gotten slower since he season debut back in May, a lot of those later races weren’t conducive to running blazing fast times like in Shanghai. He did win the Kenyan trials (at altitude), so he’s in championship form.
When Ryan Fenton came back from the Prefontaine Classic, he had a lot of praise for Kipruto. The teenager beat Kemboi out in Eugene (he was DQ’d) and then again at the Kenyan National Championships (Kemboi finished back in sixth, but gets the auto-bid).
Could Kipruto’s dominance and Kemboi’s slip in form mean that we’ll have a new champion in Moscow? Possibly, but we still don’t want to bet against Kemboi’s last lap speed.
Will Evan Jager Medal?
With the three potential gold medalists in the race, it doesn’t make much sense that the podium will have any room for the American record holder.
But oddly enough, things look good for Jager. Even though he’s only raced once since USAs (he took second in the 3k in Luzern in 7:43.36), Jager knows what he has to do to grab a historic medal.
"We didn't do anything that would've prepared me to do that on the international level," Jager told Runner’s World. "So that's something that we're going to do -- get me nice and tired and try to close in 56, 57 seconds over barriers." Jager reiterated this point after his race at the Prefontaine Classic.
Even after a “sloppy” last lap, Jager still closed in roughly 63-seconds to run 8:08.60. That’s the good news. The bad news is that everyone who finished in front of him will be in Moscow.
Will a big last lap be enough? He gained some valuable experience from last year (after all, it was his first year running the event), but he’ll still need some help.
We don’t see either Kemboi or Mekhissi-Benabbad not on the medal stand. Kipruto is young, but he did win at the Kenyan Trials this year and the Kenyan Junior Championships the year before. Like almost any other championship final, we don’t think the pace will be too hot, so tactics will play an important role (as always).
The other two big names that we haven’t even talked about is Paul Koech (fourth in the world) and Abel Mutai (ninth). Koech may have had an awful race at the Kenyan Trials where he finished back in 12th, but he gets an automatic bid for winning the Diamond League last year. He looked good at Prefontaine (second in 8:05.86), but a little underwhelming in Paris (third in 8:09.17). Mutai finished two spots behind Jager at Prefontaine, so we’ll check him off the list of potential worries.
Prediction
It’s going to be an interesting race, to say the least. We may love to watch Mo Farah run 52.x for the last lap of a 5k, but watching 56.x in the steeplechase is something else.
If Jager can pull out 57-second last lap, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t get bronze. The again, my gut says that he’ll improve on his sixth place finish from the Olympics and end up in that dreaded fourth spot.
Kemboi will defend, Mekhissi-Benabbad will take silver (again), Kipruto will settle for his first loss of the season, and Jager will have to wait.
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