The women’s steeplechase also featured all three medalists from Tokyo, but it was a non-Olympian, Kenya’s Norah Jeruto stole the show at the Eugene Diamond where it had featured all three medalists from Tokyo.
The first kilometer was reached in 2:55.20 by the pacesetter, Rosefine Chepngetich, with a pack of five women in the hunt. By 2000 meters the tempo cooled off but still appeared to be on track for a sub-9:00 finish, with Jeruto who was a non-Olympian, leading in 5:59.20. She and Courtney Frerichs had separated from the field and at the bell; the Kenyan began to open up a gap. She ran unchallenged to the finish in a world-leading 8:53.65, making her the third fastest of all time.
Olympic silver medalist Frerichs fought hard to claim the second place with a time of 8:57.77, moving to No. 4 on the all-time list and lowering her own North American and U.S. record of 9:00.85 from Monaco in 2018.
Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist, Hyvin Kiyeng from Kenya, narrowly missed dipping under that barrier, finishing third in 9:00.05, while Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai of 9:10.87 of Uganda was a well-beaten seventh.
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