FIRST KENYAN WR holder Beatrice Chepkoech, and then Ugandan defending champion Peruth Chemutai pushed the pace in hopes of burning off Bahraini world champ Winfred Yavi. It didn’t work.
Coming into the final straight, Yavi blasted past Chemutai and into the OR book at 8:52.76. Chemutai hung on for an 8:53.34 NR and Kenyan Faith Cherotich matched her Budapest bronze in an 8:55.15 PR. Chepkoech faded to 6th in 9:04.24.
The new OR replaced the 8:58.81 set by Russian Gulnara Galkina in ’08, the first year women contested the event at the Games.
Chepkoech’s first kilo was a brisk 2:55.1 with Chemutai (2:55.3) and Cherotich (2:55.6) on her heels, followed by Ethiopian Sembo Almayew (2:55.8), while Yavi comfortably sat back in 5th (2:56.1).
At this point, American Val Constien was working to stay with the pack at 8th and teammate Courtney Wayment was well back in 14th.
By 2K, Chemutai had taken the reins as the pace slowed to 5:57.6. Almayew, Chepkoech, Yavi, looking fresh, and Cherotich tailed her less than a second behind.
Yavi made no move until after the final waterjump, but it was decisive. Her last 100, in 14.9, destroyed the 15.7 of Chemutai and Cherotich’s 16.2 wasn’t even in the same league.
Yavi’s last kilo was 2:54.6 and her last 400 was 65.5. Chemutai clocked 2:55.8 and 66.3.
France’s Alice Finot in 4th set a European Record 8:58.67 and celebrated trackside by dropping to a knee and proposing marriage to her boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martinez Bargiela, with an Olympic pin. (He said yes.)
Wayment (9:13.60) and Constien (9:34.08) would finish 12th and 15th.
“This is a dream come true,” said the 24-year-old Yavi. “It has been such a hard journey to get to this point.
“In the final I was expecting something good. I just felt good about the race. I believed in myself that I have that finishing speed.”
“I am so happy for me but also for the Bahraini people and the federation who have been so supportive of me since I started working with them.”
The unseated Chemutai was unavailable for comment, but bronze winner Cherotich said, “I’m very happy to win bronze at my first Olympic Games. I tried to chase Yavi and Chemutai. I was only looking forward and did not know what was going on behind me. So I kept on pushing to not get caught.
“I’m still young. I will have to improve my speed and endurance. At the next championships I hope to have improved my racing.”
WOMEN’S STEEPLE RESULTS
FINAL (August 06; interior waterjump)
(temperature 77F/25C; humidity 58%)
1. Winfred Yavi (Bhr) 8:52.76 (WL) (x, 4 W) (OR)
(66.4, 72.8 [2:19.2], 73.3 [3:32.5], 72.8 [4:45.3], 72.9 [5:58.2], 72.7 [7:10.9], 70.1 [8:21.0], 31.7)
(14.9, 31.7, 48.5, 65.5);
2. Peruth Chemutai (Uga) 8:53.34 NR (5, 7 W)
(15.7, 32.6, 49.3, 66.3);
3. Faith Cherotich (Ken) 8:55.15 PR (7, x W)
(16.2, 33.3, 50.2, 67.5);
4. Alice Finot (Fra) 8:58.67 NR (11, x W)
(16.4, 33.3, 49.9, 66.2);
5. Sembo Almayew (Eth) 9:00.83 (x, 5 WJ)
(18.1, 37.0, 55.2, 73.1);
6. Beatrice Chepkoech (Ken) 9:04.24;
7. Elizabeth Bird (GB) 9:04.35 NR; 8. Lomi Muleta (Eth) 9:06.07 PR; 9. Norah Jeruto (Kaz) 9:08.97; 10. Lea Meyer (Ger) 9:09.59 PR; 11. Irene Sánchez-Escribano (Spa) 9:10.43 PR; 12. Courtney Wayment (US) 9:13.60 (17.9, 37.5, 56.4, 75.0); 13. Alicja Konieczek (Pol) 9:21.31; 14. Gesa-Felicitas Krause (Ger) 9:26.96; 15. Val Constien (US) 9:34.08.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 3–12)
(lead kilos: Chepkoech 2:56.21; Chemutai 5:58.20)
HEATS (August 04)
I–1. Chemutai 9:10.51 ; 2. Cherotich 9:10.57; 3. Krause 9:10.68; 4. Wayment 9:10.72; 5. Muleta 9:10.73 PR; 6. Marwa Bouzayani (Tun) 9:10.91 PR; 7. Carolina Robles (Spa) 9:22.48; 8. Parul Chaudhary (Ind) 9:23.39; 9. Aneta Konieczek (Pol) 9:24.43 PR; 10. Daisy Jepkemei (Kaz) 9:24.69; 11. Aimee Pratt (GB) 9:27.26; 12. Regan Yee (Can) 9:27.81.
II–1. Yavi 9:15.11; 2. Almayew 9:15.42; 3. Constien 9:16.33; 4. Bird 9:16.46; 5. Jeruto 9:16.46; 6. Olivia Gürth (Ger) 9:16.47 PR; 7. Ceili McCabe (Can) 9:20.71; 8. Kinga Królik (Pol) 9:26.61 PR; 9. Luiza Gega (Alb) 9:27.41; 10. Flavie Renouard (Fra) 9:27.70; 11. Cara Feain-Ryan (Aus) 9:28.72 PR; 12. Jackline Chepkoech (Ken) 9:35.56.
III–1. Chepkoech 9:13.56; 2. Finot 9:14.78; 3. Meyer 9:14.85 PR; 4. Konieczek 9:16.51 NR; 5. Sánchez-Escribano 9:17.39 PR; 6. Ilona Mononen (Fin) 9:22.77 NR; 7. Marisa Howard (US) 9:24.78; 8. Stella Rutto (Rom) 9:31.23; 9. Amy Cashin (Aus) 9:32.93; 10. Tatiane Raquel da Silva (Bra) 9:33.96; 11. Belén Casetta (Arg) 9:34.78; 12. Shuangshuang Xu (Chn) 9:43.50.
