The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually

abbreviated An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...

as ) is the most common distance for the

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

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. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...

, which derives its name from the horse racing steeplechase.

Rules

It is one of the track events in the

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and the

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, and it is also an event recognized by

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. The obstacles for men are high, and for women, they are high. The water jump consists of a barrier followed by a pit of water with a landing area defined as follows: The pit is 3.66 m (12 feet) square. The pit's forward-direction measurement starts from the approach edge of the barrier and ends at the point where the water jump slope reaches the flat surface of the steeple pathway. The rulebook simply but clearly states, "The water jump, including the hurdle, shall be 3.66 m in length." Pits have an upward slope; the water is deeper near the barrier and is within 2 cm of ground level at the departure end. That slope begins approximately forward of the barrier, at which point the water is deep. The length of the race is usually ; junior and some masters events are , as women's events used to be. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. During the race, each runner must clear a total of 28 ordinary barriers and seven water jumps. This entails seven complete laps after starting with a fraction of a lap run without barriers. The water jump is located on the back turn, either inside the inner lane or outside the outer lane. If it is on the outside, then each of the seven laps is longer than the standard 400 m, and the starting point is on the home straight. If the water jump is on the inside, each lap is shorter than 400 m, and the starting point is on the back straight, so the water jump and barrier in the home straight are bypassed in the first half lap at the start. Prekazka

Unlike those used in

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, steeplechase barriers do not fall over if hit, and the rules allow an athlete to negotiate the barrier by any means, so many runners step on top of them. Four barriers are spaced around the track on level ground, and a fifth barrier at the top of the second turn (fourth barrier in a complete lap from the finish line) is the water jump. The slope of the water jump rewards runners with more jumping ability, because a longer jump results in a shallower landing in the water.

All-time top 25

Men

*Correct as of May 2025.

Notes

¹ Until 2002 he was known as Stephen Cherono, and represented Kenya.

Annulled marks

The following athletes had their performance (inside 7:55.00) annulled due to doping offences: *

Brahim Boulami Brahim Boulami (; born April 20, 1972 in Safi) is a Moroccan athlete who set two world records in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, 7:55.28 and 7:53.17. The latter was overturned because he tested positive for the banned performance-enhancin ...

7:53.17 (Zürich 2002)

Women

*Correct as of 30 August 2024.

Annulled marks

The following athletes had their performances (inside 9:06.50) annulled due to doping offences: *

Yuliya Zaripova Yuliya Mikhailovna Zaripova (, née Ivanova (), divorced Zarudneva (); born 26 April 1986 in Svetly Yar, Volgograd Oblast) is a Russian former disgraced middle-distance runner who specialised in the 3000 metres steeplechase event. Career Zarip ...

9:05.02 (Stockholm 2012)

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

Season's bests

Men

Women

National records

*Updated May 2025.

Men

Equal or superior to 8:30.00 min:

Women

Equal or superior to 9:30.00 min:

Notes

References

External links

IAAF list of 3000-metres steeplechase records in XML

at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

{{National records in athletics Events in track and field Steeplechase (athletics) Summer Olympic disciplines in athletics Middle-distance running disciplines