AT THE GAMES — Two-time U.S. champion, and now the third-ever Olympic silver medalist in United States men’s steeplechase history. Put Kenneth Rooks’ name among the world’s best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase
The BYU track and field and cross country alum ran a personal best time of 8 minutes, 6.41 seconds to clinch the silver medal Wednesday in Saint-Denis, France.
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won his second consecutive gold medal in the event in 8:06.05, and Abraham Kibiwot took bronze for Ethiopia in 8:06.47.
Like fellow BYU alum and Olympian Henry Marsh before him, Rooks started the final racing from the back. The Nike athlete who runs with Utah’s Run Elite Program ran the first 1,000 meters in 2:42.8, good for 13th place behind a trio of Ethiopians and defending Olympic gold medalist El Bakkali.
“The goal was to get out and stay relaxed,” said Rooks after the race. “If the race went out fast, I was going to be OK being toward the back. I just wanted to conserve as much energy as possible, but stay within striking distance. I was nervous, especially with where I had positioned myself, but we all were really in it as we got later in the race. I just got up in position to make that move at the end.”
Rooks inched up to 10th ahead of the final third, but kept his sights on Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma and some of the biggest steeplechasers in world athletics. He surged into the top four to start the final lap; and with the bell still ringing in his ears, Rooks took the lead by as much as four body lengths.
In the midst of the chaos, and as El Bakkali fought back to the front, Girma — who won silver behind El Bakkali in Tokyo — took a hard tumble in the final stretch and had to be attended by medical personnel. That opened the door for Rooks to hold off Kibiwot by half a second and clinch the United States’ second silver medal in the event in two Olympic cycles.
“I didn’t know how bad his fall was; I actually didn’t know who fell until after the race,” Rooks said. “I’ll just keep him in my prayers.”
It’s just the seventh-ever Olympic medal in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, including gold won by Horace Ashenfelter in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952. Evan Jager took silver in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the first U.S. silver medal in the event since Patrick Flynn in 1920.
It didn’t take nearly as long to earn a third.
“We are so proud of Kenneth and his incredible accomplishment winning a silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase,” said Run Elite Program co-founder Isaac Wood, the head coach at Salt Lake Community College who was with Rooks in Paris and spotted jumping up and down inside the Stade de France during the final stretch.
“Not only is he a remarkable athlete but a better person,” Wood added. “We are grateful Run Elite Program could play a small role in supporting him in his Olympic dreams. We look forward to helping not only him — we’re also thrilled about Grant Fishers medal as well — but many other Utah runners elevate their running and their community through the support of the state of Utah, Intermountain Health and other amazing partners of ours.”
Rooks, the 24-year-old two-time U.S. national champion, burst onto the scene as a junior at BYU in 2023 when he won the NCAA steeplechase national title in 8:26.17, setting a stadium record in Austin, Texas.
About a month prior, the Walla Walla, Washington, product ran the second-fastest time in the steeplechase by a collegian when he posted 8:17.62 at a meet in Walnut, California — the fastest time in the world at the time.
He also broke a 46-year-old BYU record held by Marsh, who went on to represent Team USA in four Olympics and won gold at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was watching Rooks became the first Olympic medalist coached by BYU coach and former two-time U.S. Olympian Ed Eyestone.
“I’m still in shock,” Marsh said of Kenneth’s performance in Paris. “It was unbelievable. He rally came of age today. He put BYU and U.S. steeplechasing on the map.”
But the Latter-day Saint returned missionary who served in Kampala, Uganda, and Orem went viral at his first U.S. track and field national championships when he recovered from a fall to win his first title in 8:16.78.
“What would I do if I fell? If I did, I knew I had to get up and work my way back slowly,” Rooks said at the time. “If I get up close to the pack, we’ll see what happens.”
One of two BYU athletes to qualify for the Olympics in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase (with fellow BYU alum Courtney Wayment representing Team USA on the women’s side), Rooks cruised to a time of 8:24.95 in Monday’s semifinals at Stade de France, easily clinching a finals berth in second place in his heat to set up Wednesday’s final.
Utah’s Plourde 6th in 1,500m repechage
Former Utah athlete Simone Plourde finished sixth in her heat in the 1,500-meter women’s repechage round Wednesday morning in Paris.
Running for Team Canada, Plourde — who was born in Montreal, Quebec, and transferred to the U. after beginning her collegiate career at BYU — finished in 4:08.49, just over 2 seconds behind Italy’s Vissa Sintayehu, who finished first in her heat in 4:06.71.
The top three from each of the two heats advanced to the semifinals, led by Ethiopia’s Birke Haulon in 4:01.47.
Up next
Former Utah State star Chart Hawkins will open her first Olympics for Team USA in the heptathlon Wednesday morning. The group will start on the 100-meter hurdles at 2:05 a.m. MDT, with live streaming on Peacock.
Former BYU distance athletes Conner Mantz, Clayton Young and Rory Linkletter (Canada) will run Saturday in the Olympic marathon, beginning at 12 a.m. MDT.
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 08:06:00
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