The Men's 3000 metres steeplechase competition at the
2012 Summer Olympics in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The event was held at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
on 3–5 August.
The steeplechase has become a national event of Kenya. Their team tactics dominate major championship races. For the first 5 laps, they let others dominate the lead, primarily led by Americans
Donald Cabral and
Evan Jager. Then the Kenyans decided to move as a team, leaving the field to chase. With less than 800 metres to go, Ugandan
Benjamin Kiplagat
Benjamin Kiplagat (4 March 1989, Magoro, Bukwo, Uganda) is a Ugandan long-distance runner specializing in the 3000 metres steeplechase
The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distan ...
got tangled up on a barrier and fell flat on his face, the runners behind him having to scramble. 200 metres later, Kenyan
Brimin Kipruto fell. Though he quickly scrambled to his feet, that effectively ruined the chances for a Kenyan sweep. Still the other two led through the final lap. Former gold medalist and multiple world champion
Ezekiel Kemboi pulled away off the front. As
Abel Mutai
Abel Kiprop Mutai (born 2 October 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase.
He was born in Nandi. He won the gold medal at the 2005 World Youth Championships, a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Ol ...
began to falter,
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born 15 March 1985) is a French professional middle-distance runner of Algerian descent who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has won medals in major international competitions such as the Olympic Ga ...
sprinted past to repeat his silver medal. Kemboi's lead was secure and after clearing the final barrier, he began to celebrate, drifting out to lane 8 by the time he crossed the finish line.
After the finish, Kemboi did the victory dance he has become known for. He and Mekhissi-Benabbad exchanged jerseys and the diminutive Kemboi leaped into the much larger Mekhissi-Benabbad's arms.
Competition format
The Men's 3000 m
steeplechase competition consists of heats (Round 1) and a Final.
Schedule
All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1
UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in:
*Central European Time
*West Africa Time
*Western European Summer Time
**B ...
)
Records
, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
The following National records were set during this competition.
Results
Round 1
Qual. rule: first 4 of each heat (Q) plus the 3 fastest times (q) qualified.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Final
Infringement of the inside border.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Men's 3000 metres steeplechase
Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Steeplechase at the Olympics
Men's events at the 2012 Summer Olympics