Norah Jeruto runs away with women’s steeplechase title at World Athletics Championships

EUGENE — U.S. steeplechasers Courtney Frerichs and Emma Coburn have spent days at the pinnacle of the sport.

This wasn’t one of those days.

Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan sped away with the women’s steeplechase Wednesday in the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, winning comfortably in 8 minutes, 53.02 seconds before a crowd of 10,881.

Jeruto crushed the meet record of 8:57.84 owned by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech since 2019.

Ethiopians Werkuha Getachew and Mekides Abebe were second and third respectively, both finishing under nine minutes.

Frerichs, the U.S. record-holder who trains with the Portland-based, Nike-sponsored Bowerman Track Club, started slowly and rallied late to finish sixth in 9:10.59.

Coburn, the 10-time U.S. champion with three global medals, ran with the leaders for two-thirds of the race before fading to eighth in 9:16.49.

“I wish I’d been a little closer to the podium,” Frerichs said. “But all three women ran faster than I ever have. So, props to them. They were incredible today.”

Frerichs was on the award stand last year at the Olympics, when she earned the silver medal. But that was then.

Since, she has been diagnosed with celiac disease, been slowed by low iron levels and dealt with the death of her college coach, Joe Butler, in December.

It was one thing after another, all of which led into a frustrating start to the 2022 season after her Olympic high.

“I’d be lying if I said it’s been a smooth year,” Frerichs said. “I’m proud of the effort. With the little bit slower start to the season, I maybe needed a couple more weeks.”

Coburn won the USA Track & Field steeplechase title at Hayward in June. She came into this race determined to stick with the leaders and fight for a medal.

It was a bold plan, but eventually she was chewed up by the race’s aggressive pace.

“At USAs we started more like 3:04, not like 2:57,” Coburn said referring to the 1,000-meter splits. “I’m not there, which is super disappointing because I thought I was.”

Still, she hung on for a big chunk of the race.

Coburn, who owns an Olympic bronze medal in 2016 and world gold in 2017 and world silver in 2019, still was in the picture with three laps to go.

That is when it slipped away.

“Pretty quickly, from 2k to 2,400 (meters) the race changed a lot for me,” Coburn said. “I don’t want to know what my last 1k split was.”

She gambled early and paid for it late. That’s racing.

“Maybe had I run more conservatively early I could have finished fifth and run 9:07 for something,” Coburn said. “But I went for it.”

The race for the medals narrowed to Jeruto, Winifred Yavi of Bahrain and the two Ethiopians for the final 1,200. Jeruto took command on the last lap’s back straight.

Getachew chased Jeruto to the finish for second in 8:54.61. Abebe caught Yavi from behind for bronze in 8:56.09. Yavi was fourth in 9:01.31.

Jeruto said she was looking over her shoulder for Getachew and Abebe for the entire race.

“They are also champions like me, so I was scared of them,” Jeruto said. “I tried my best to win the race, but it was not easy.”

Especially from in front, which is how Jeruto chose to do it. It worked.

Getachew paid tribute.

“I wanted gold,” she said. “But the winner is very strong. I tried my best and got silver.”

Team USA’s Courtney Wayment, the reigning NCAA champion from BYU, placed 12th.

Here are results from the World Athletics Championships.

— Ken Goe for The Oregonian/OregonLive

KenGoe1020@gmail.com | Twitter: @KenGoe