Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi Wins Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, Hungary’s Krisztian Pars Wins Hammer Throw Gold

Day 9 at the 2012 Summer Olympics also marked the third day of track and field in London, with six medals decided at Olympic Stadium.

The night session was highlighted by Sanya Richards-Ross’s win in the women’s 400m -- Team USA’s first gold in track and field at the Games -- and Usain Bolt’s unbelievable performance in the 100 meters as he defended his title of The Fastest Man on Earth.

Also, there was action in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, an event that requires competitors to run over seven-and-a-half laps of the track and jump 28 hurdles ... seven of which have a pool of water on the other side, because the Olympics are full of sports that maybe (?) made sense 100 years ago. Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi won the event, the second Olympic gold of his career.

Afterward, he celebrated:

Kemboi has been dominant in the event since he captured gold in the 2004 Games. He won the 3000m steeplechase title at the World Championships in 2009 and 2011 (with silvers in 2003, 2005 and 2007). His fellow countryman Abel Mutai won the bronze while France’s Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad took the silver. American Evan Jager faded near the end and finished sixth, more than five seconds behind Kemboi.

The “field” portion of track and field also handed out medals Sunday night, with Hungary’s Krisztian Pars winning gold in the men’s hammer throw. The 2011 World Championships runner-up threw the 16-pound hammer -- a long chain with a ball attached at the end -- 80.59 meters, or a bit more than 88 yards. Pars’s throw bested the silver medalist, Primoz Kozmus, by 1.23 meters. Japan’s Koji Murofushi won the bronze medal with a throw of 78.71 meters.

In the women’s triple jump, Olga Rypakova took home the gold medal with a jump of 14.98 meters, beating out Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia’s 14.80. Olha Saladuha of Ukraine was just behind at 14.79 meters for the bronze.

For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics Hub.