New Kenyan claims men’s steeplechase crown while predecessor loses bronze
RIO DE JANEIRO — The 3,000-metre steeplechase featured a Kenyan taking home the gold, but not the Kenyan many expected.
Conseslus Kipruto won the race as Ezekiel Kemboi, the two-time Olympic champ and four-time world champion, initially ended up with bronze, before later being disqualified after officials reviewed video and ruled that he stepped out of his lane.
Evan Jager took silver as the first American to medal in steeplechase since 1984.
Kemboi’s bronze was passed on to France’s Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, who initially finished fourth.
Kemboi, 34, announced after the race that he is retiring.
Kipruto overtook Jager after the 2,000-metre mark and in the home stretch he started waving to the Olympic Stadium crowd.
“I knew nobody was going to catch me,” he said. “So I started celebrating. I was so happy because I knew I was going to win the gold.”
He said Kemboi tried some gamesmanship leading up to Rio.
“He told me he was going to win,” Kipruto said. “Kemboi usually destroys somebody’s mind, but I told him, ‘Let the track show who is to be the king.’ ”
Jager said he knew an American getting a steeplechase medal was a rare phenomenon.
“I know how dominant Kenya has been in the past 20 or 30 years and I know how big of an achievement it is, but I don’t know if it has hit me yet. The happiness has hit me, but anything outside of that hasn’t yet.”