Despite runner-up effort behind Kenyan standout Jeruto in 3,000-meter steeplechase, Olympic silver medalist lowers own American record to 8:57.77, becoming sixth competitor in history to eclipse 9-minute barrier

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE – Courtney Frerichs demonstrated again Saturday that she is capable of being at her career best, even when she is not the top competitor in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Entering the 46th Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field, none of the 10 fastest steeplechase performances of Frerichs’ career had resulted in a winning effort.

That trend continued in the first race for the Nike Bowerman Track Club standout since she captured an Olympic silver medal Aug. 4 in Tokyo, and it did so with the most historic effort Frerichs had ever achieved.

After Kenya’s Norah Jeruto returned from an 85-day break in between races to run the third-fastest all-time performance by clocking 8 minutes, 53.65 seconds, Frerichs became the first U.S. female athlete and sixth competitor in history to eclipse the 9-minute barrier, placing runner-up in 8:57.77 to lower her own American record.

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“It’s such a dream come true. It’s been such an honor to be a part of pushing this event forward. I mean, look at how far it’s come in the 13 years that it’s been run, basically at this level,” said Frerichs, who ascended to the No. 4 all-time competitor.

“It was (tough to refocus after the Olympics), honestly. Physically, I was in a great spot and I knew the fitness was still there. When you’ve been thinking about a race for five years and then suddenly it’s over, you kind of want a reset, and then take the time to figure out your next goal.

“But I also knew that opportunities like this don’t come around too often. The fitness coming together. The field coming together. The opportunity to be, kind of, at home for me, and be in front of this incredible crowd.”

Frerichs, who ran 9:04.79 in the Olympic final in Tokyo to place second behind Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai (9:01.45), was looking forward to the rematch. But she was also well aware of the presence of Jeruto, who had not raced since May 28 in Doha, but still entered the meet as the world leader at 9:00.67 and was already part of the elite group of sub-9 competitors with her 8:59.62 effort in Belgium in 2018.

“I knew Norah was going to come in super fit. We missed her at the Olympic Games, so I was just ready to compete,” Frerichs said. “I really wanted to focus on competing today. I think I’ve always found that the times come if I focus on the competition and not the pace. I think that was a really good mindset going in, because going out in 66 is definitely not how I would have expected things to happen in my first sub-9 race. By focusing on competing, I wasn’t rattled by any of the pacing, and I’m super excited about it.”

Frerichs was fourth midway through the race, but surged to position herself right behind Jeruto with three laps remaining. Unlike her bold move in Tokyo where she decided to take the lead and hoped to hold on, only to have Chemutai catch her on the final lap, Frerichs remained patient Saturday and let Jeruto do all the work up front while she continued to stay within striking distance.

“I just kind of wanted to roll with whatever happened in the race. I think I’m learning to trust my instincts in racing more,” Frerichs said. “Today’s race was entirely different. We went out 10 seconds faster than we did in Tokyo, so by that being the way it played out, I was almost able to run it the easier way and just follow. I was prepared when the pace started to settle to make a move to the front if I felt like that was right.”

Jeruto knew by the energy of the crowd at the 2,000-meter mark that she and Frerichs were going to be part of a special race, and she fed off that support to produce the fastest time in the steeplechase since 2018.

“I feel when I was around five laps, there was a chance, and I tried to push,” Jeruto said. “I missed the Olympics, but in my next race I knew I would do my best and I did today. I tried my best because (Courtney) was following me, but it was so good to be in front, because that was the place that I wanted to be (entering the last lap), and it worked out well for me.”

Jeruto covered the final lap in 67.7 to produce the fastest time ever achieved on American soil. Frerichs closed in 70.9 to record the seventh-fastest all-time performance and the top mark ever by a runner-up competitor in any global race.

Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng, the 2015 World champion and a two-time Olympic medalist, ran the fastest third-place time in history with her 9:00.05 effort, just off her personal-best 9:00.01 from the 2016 Prefontaine Classic. Chemutai finished seventh in 9:10.87 in her first race since winning the Olympic title.

But on a day when five American competitors won events, including Olympic gold medalists Ryan Crouser, Athing Mu and Katie Nageotte, the most memorable performance by a U.S. female athlete came in a runner-up effort from Frerichs. And that includes Mu lowering her own American record in the 800 meters to 1:55.04, making her the No. 8 competitor in history.

After setting the previous American steeplechase record of 9:00.85 in a second-place performance at the Monaco Diamond League event in 2018, in addition to earning silver medals at both the 2017 World Championships in London – trailing fellow U.S. national team member and gold medalist Emma Coburn – and again in Tokyo, it was only fitting that Frerichs wasn’t the winner again Saturday at Hayward Field, but still celebrated another significant career milestone.

“I hope that all of this is just the start. It’s been so much fun and it will continue to be so much fun to be able to push those boundaries with Emma, and then to see that group coming up behind us. How awesome was it at the Olympic Trials to have (nine) women under 9:30 in one race?” Frerichs said. “I don’t think this is it. It will be really hard to break 8:50, but why not set that as the new goal?”