EUGENE, Ore. — Olympian Courtney Frerichs competed in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final Wednesday night at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene but fell short of claiming a medal in the event.
Frerichs finished sixth overall with a time of 9:10.59, though she was the top of three U.S. runners to compete. It was a tough day for Emma Coburn, a two-time world medalist in the event who faded late and finished eighth, the Associated Press reported.
“Disappointing,” Coburn said. “I went for it and it didn’t pay off.”
Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan finished first in the steeplechase with a time of 8:53.02, taking gold. She was followed by Werkuha Getachew at 8:54.61 and Mekides Abebe at 8:56.08, both of Ethiopia, claiming silver and bronze.
Frerichs was born in Illinois, but trains in Portland with the Nike-sponsored Bowerman Track Club.
The 29-year-old won silver in the 3,000-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics, earning her first Olympic medal with a time of 9:04:79. Frerichs is the first American to score a silver medal in the steeplechase and the second to win a medal in the event.
Coming off the Tokyo Olympic Games, Frerichs beat her own American record at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. In comparison, she took 9th place in 2022 and revealed she had been struggling with low iron after being diagnosed with Celiac disease.
The U.S. has won at least one medal in the event at each of the last four global championships, in part, thanks to Frerichs. She was a silver medalist at the 2017 world championships in London. She finished in sixth place in the 2019 championships in Doha.
“Training has been going really well and I am happy with the progress I have been making,” Frerichs said in an article published by Women’s Running earlier this month. “I love coming out of altitude training to race so I am really excited that the timing of altitude camp has worked out really well leading into worlds this year.”
