Steeplechase Stunner

In my lifetime of being a participant, student of, record keeper, and now blogging commentator of Track & Field, rarely have I seen a race that stunned me into incoherent screaming and an endless bout of crying (happily so!)!
But the Women's 3000SC Final in these London World Championships became one of those instant Classics!

When Colleen Quigley was DQ'ed in the Heats, I was (& remain!) incensed!
But isn't revenge & vindication sweet?
The gift of redemption was bestowed onto Quigley by what her TeamUSA friends did in the race she SHOULD have been in!
(And I strongly believe she WILL perform as her teammates did---in one of the DL's to come!)

This was a serious field!
Ruth Jebet, WR holder at 8:52.78!
Celiphine Chespol, the wondrous teen!
Hyvin Jepkemoi, THIS close to going sub-9:00!
Beatrice Chepkoech, she of the 8:28 3K flat speed, with a PR of 9:00.70!

And the two remaining Americans.
The AR holder at 9:07.63, Emma Coburn.
And the Collegiate Record holder (9:24.41), Courtney Frerichs, who had improved to 9:19.09--less than a second faster than Quigley!!

They lined up in an arced row, waiting for the gun.
Jebet went immediately to the front, as expected.
While Jebet is a former Kenyan, moved to Bahrain, she wore a red uniform not unlike her former brethren.
Near the rail, Coburn and Frerichs stayed inside and back 2-3 meters.
They were running 72 second laps, close to 9 minute pace, also as expected!

Coming around to the first water jump, there was some jostling for position.
But it soon turned into a Comedy of Errors, as Chepkoech elbowed her way OUT of the group heading to the barrier, and kept running on the TRACK---the normal 400 meter track, NOT the one laid out to veer toward the water!!
She turned her head, and stunned, realized her embarrassing faux pas!
Reversing course, she then U-turned again onto the event's course, took the water jump awkwardly, and started racing again!
But then she stumbled over a hurdle, crashing into Gesa Krause, taking her down too!
Both got up and continued, but their races were basically over!

The first kilometer was reached in 3:02.74, with Jebet leading Chespol, on her shoulder, with the Americans now back in 5th and 6th, but close!
Jebet picked it up a notch, but only to 3:00.86 for the second K.
They were now a 5-woman group, clear of the rest by 30 meters, and growing!
Chepkoech had closed in, and was now bringing up the rear of the quintet.

When they came to the straight on the penultimate lap, Jebet had begun to fall back, with Chespol also lagging, while Hyvin Jepkemoi was now having to stave off  the unexpected presence of TWO blue-uniformed Americans!
She was probably familiar with the blonde statuesque Coburn, who had been in leading groups in several races, but had rarely won!!
But who was this other girl??

They reached the bell in 7:53, all clearing the next hurdle cleanly.
Immediately after the barrier coming off the turn, this "other" American suddenly shot into the lead!!
This shocked the crowd, the African, and Coburn!!
Could the same happen here, as it did in the 2015 Monaco 1500, where EXPECTED next AR holder Jenny Simpson was overtaken by Shannon Rowbury, not only losing her position, but the AR as well to this "upstart"??

Jepkemoi retook the lead, but Frerichs held 2nd, with Coburn staying on the rail.
It appeared that Coburn's strategy approaching the final water jump worked, as it forced Frerichs to the outside, with the African holding the middle.

Coburn has almost perfect hurdling form, so when she cleared the hurdle, she practically walked (ran!) on water, stepping from the pit to a tiny lead.
Frerichs's technique is also good, but not up to Coburn's standards.
The Africans--Jepkemoi included--all seem to "straddle jump" each barrier, although Hyvin's form is closer to "normal"!

But it's still ragged, when compared side-by-side with non-Africans!
Thus, Frerichs came out of the water with a stronger momentum than Jepkemoi, moving into a foot or so lead, with Coburn already opening a gap--although not enough to feel overly confident the kick-superior African wouldn't come speeding past!!

Until she cleanly went over the final barrier, hitting the ground in a full-out sprint!
Frerichs too went over the hurdle in top form, but she had Jepkemoi right there, also sprinting hard!

As Coburn now knew she was going to win, she actually seemed to slow a bit, raising her arms in a victorious celebration!
Frerichs was trying to hold off Jepkemoi, the space between them growing slowly--but growing!
Yes, Frerichs--of the 9:19.09 PR coming into this race--was actually holding off the woman with the PR of 9:00.01---and becoming aware she not only would take a medal, but it would shine as only Silver can!!

The stats speak for themselves!

Emma Coburn broke her own American Record by over 5 seconds, her 9:02.58 also breaking the Meet Record!!
In fact, amazingly enough, it was the FIRST Meet Record broken--by men or women!!--in the first 8 days of this mind-boggling meet!!
She also nabbed the Age 26 record!
Remaining 1st A-T US, she moved from 13th A-T World to 6th!!
On my World Combined Events list for the 3000 & 3000SC, her times of 8:59.76 & 9:02.58 adds to 18:02.34.
This makes her only 16th A-T there!
(She has to run a faster flat 3K!!)
These same times keeps her in 2nd on the US C-E list!!

Frerichs's final time of 9:03.77 was a 15.32 second improvement on her PR!!
She moved from 4th to 2nd on the A-T US list!
And she's now suddenly 7th A-T World!!
On the two C-E lists, her 8:56.99 & 9:03.77--adding to 18:00.76--places her 2nd on the US list, and 12th on the World C-E list!

Jepkemoi ended her run in 9:04.03.
Chepkoech--she of that initially MISSED water jump--rebounded to a 4th place finish in 9:10.45!!
Jebet faded to 5th, time of 9:13.96.
Chespol was further back, her 9:15.04 giving her 6th!

These are the Women Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs defeated!!

After Chespol, there was a large gap back to 7th placer Etenesh Diro's 9:22.46.

Gesa Krause, who had fallen earlier, managed to finish 9th in 9:23.87!
If only!

Purity Kirui---perhaps karma working its magical powers--ran 9:25.62 in 10th!
While perhaps not directly the cause, she WAS the one who was running so close to Colleen Quigley coming off the water jump in the Heat, that Quigley was forced to hug the line, and stepping ON it--if only to keep her stride going and her balance from toppling off course to the infield!!
Yes, Purity, "Instant Karma's gonna get YOU!".

Belen Casetta of Argentina got her National Record, time of 9:25.99.

Two Genevieve's followed!
LaCaze finished in 9:26.25, her season's best after a year beset by injury setbacks!
LaLonde's 9:29.99 just beat her own National Record of Canada!!

Gerry Lindgren shocked many when, as an 18 year old HS'er (just graduated!), he beat the older runners from the Soviet Union in the US vs USSR dual meet in 1964!
Billy Mills shocked the World when he beat WR holder Ron Clarke, and all others, in the Tokyo Olympic Games 10000 meters race!!

There have been some totally unexpected happenings in other events through the ensuing years!
But to have Americans--of whatever gender!--take Gold AND Silver in a DISTANCE race is, well, unheard of!!

Race of the 21st Century?
Maybe.
Race--and event--of this meet?
Absolutely!!

I don't want to spoil your enjoyment of it, but be sure to watch the immediate post-race celebration of Coburn and Frerichs!
I won't describe it here--just watch it--with a handful of hankies handy!!
Also watch their respective 10+ minute interviews from the mixed zone!
Another video--which I saw on Twitter--is a home video (1:37 long) showing Emma's sister watching the race with friends on TV at home.
It too has gone viral!!
I can't get enough of this joyful emotional moment in US Track and Field history!!

Dear Readers, I will return soon with the rest of my report of what went down these past two days!
However, as I did with the Heptathlon, I'll wait another day to tell you about the Decathlon, so as to be able to report on the FULL event, instead of only its first day!!
My next report should be posted sometime after midnight!
I want to watch NBCSN's "coverage" of today's action, which will be on tape delay in less than 30 minutes!!
(If they can't exploit their tape-delayed status to show the ENTIRE 3000SC race UNCUT by field events or ads----well, I don't know!!)
If they don't, the FULL race IS available on video!
Go to Let's Run or You Tube to see this amazing race!