Coburn, Simpson move on to Paris, Zurich meets

Still riding high from their historic performance of winning bronze medals at the Rio Olympics, Emma Coburn and Jenny Simpson now head to Paris and Zurich to race two final times this season in their respective events.

“I want to try to break the American record again,” Coburn said, speaking by phone Tuesday from Paris, where she and Simpson will race Saturday evening. “I also just want to beat some of the people who beat me in Rio. Obviously, I was really close to second.”

Coburn expects Ruth Jebet, a Kenyan-born runner racing for Bahrain, and Kenya’s Hyvin Jepkemoi to again attempt to break the 3,000-meter steeplechase world record of 8 minutes, 58.81 seconds, set by Russia’s Gulnara Galkina in 2008. Coburn earned bronze in the Rio event behind both runners. Jebet, the gold medalist, came close to the world mark, surging away from the field in the middle kilometer of the 3K race before running 8:59.75, less than a second short of the mark.

A week and a half removed from winning her Olympic medal, Coburn is grateful, even if there’s still a small belief that — had she summoned just a bit more speed — she could have nabbed silver from Jepkemoi, who finished .51 seconds ahead of her. She still hasn’t watched the full race, but she has looked at the final lap.

“I know how my body felt, and I had nothing left,” she said. “But then I go back and see that lap and think, ‘Oh, you could have had her!’ I wish I could have gotten second. I wish I had more energy in me. But I don’t think there’s any tactical error I made, other than needing a bit more energy.”

Call it motivation for Tokyo in 2020.

She acknowledged that coaches Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs hadn’t placed expectations on her before the Games. Her own goal was to podium in Rio. Last year at the world championships, she had hoped to finish in the top five. This year, top five might have been acceptable, but finishing on the podium was what mattered to her most.

At this stage, Coburn is hoping to improve her American record — which she lowered in Rio, running 9:07.63 — by just a few tenths of a second. Diamond League meets remain in Paris, Zurich and Brussels, and athletes racing after the Olympics have a chance to compete while still in peak condition. Unlike the Olympics and other championships events, Diamond League races frequently have pace-setters than can pull a field through in splits, opening the door for records — and monetary bonuses. Speed takes precedence over tactical racing.

Coburn’s and Simpson’s races Saturday evening likely will be run in hot temperatures, making records harder to achieve. But they’ll have another chance in Zurich on Thursday. Two days later, they’ll end their seasons at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City.

“There’s been moments and flashes where I reflect and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe (I won a medal).’ I’ll still be excited about it and surprised by it in a way,” Coburn said. “It’s one thing to have an expectation and a goal — and then to have it come to fruition is unexpected. Getting a medal is still unexpected. It’s surreal.”